Love, Actually
by Jumpingbeans480
Summary: REVAMPED. Kagome is pregnant. The father is unknown. To prove he DID NOT sire the child, Sasuke takes Sakura and Kakashi through Kagome's past via Tsukuyomi. Together, they see what shaped Kagome into the woman she is today. A story of second love and letting go of one's past in order to live for one's future. KakashiKagomeItachi SasukeSakura
1. Prologue

**Love, Actually**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I also do not own Inuyasha and I highly doubt that I ever will. These two great Manga and Anime series belong strictly to their creators. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

.

Haruno Sakura tried her best to maintain a neutral expression in spite of the turmoil she really felt inside.

It simply wouldn't do for her to yell out her confusion and behave in such an unprofessional manner even though she _really _wanted to. But no. She was one of the best doctors in Konoha now and she would damn well act like it. So with that thought in mind she took a deep breath and looked at her patient, who was seated in the chair across from her desk.

"Kagome…" Sakura began in a gentle tone. Said woman looked at the doctor straight in the eye.

"I'm pregnant, aren't I Sakura?" she interrupted calmly.

Kagome was a friend of hers through Kakashi and Sasuke, so Sakura had been rather surprised when the woman turned up in her office a few days ago asking her to conduct some tests. Sakura had done what she had been asked, and seeing the results of those tests had thrown her for a loop. She was stunned. Shocked. Stupefied.

Before, she had never thought of Kagome as the type of woman to do this kind of thing. But now…

Higurashi Kagome was roughly 5 years her senior. She was slender in build and slightly taller than the average woman in Konoha. But Sakura knew that most men wouldn't care about a woman's height if she were pretty.

Kagome wasn't just pretty. She was beautiful, with her long raven-coloured hair, pale, creamy skin and devastating blue eyes.

Sakura had been rather envious of Kagome in the past, but all those insecure feelings had disappeared now. After all, Sakura had single-handedly managed to make the Uchiha Sasuke fall in love with her enough to ask for her hand in marriage.

Only just recently, Haruno Sakura became Uchiha Sakura.

She was a happily married woman at the age of 20 while Kagome was still single and without any significant relationships. Or at least, Sakura used to think so until… Her eyes flickered over to the report lying innocently on her desk. The results for a pregnancy test. Sakura had checked, double-checked, triple-checked and quadruple-checked the tests for good measure but they all shared the same answer.

Positive.

Kagome was pregnant. Expecting. With child. Knocked up. Riding the baby train. Having a bun in her oven.

Sakura's mind whirled at the very thought of it…. Higurashi Kagome. Pregnant. Her mind struggled to come up with a reason for this situation. Maybe... maybe Kagome had been in a relationship and she just didn't tell anyone about it… _Or maybe_, a small part of her brain supplied, maybe she'd had a one-night stand. Sakura really didn't think that Kagome seemed the type to have a one-night stand but she knew from years of being a Ninja that appearances could be deceiving. But no matter… Sakura chewed on her lip. There was a time and place for everything, and right now it wasn't the time to be thinking about this.

"Yes, you are," she finally replied.

Kagome closed her eyes and let out a slow sigh. "I suspected as much," she mumbled, her eyes still shut, "I just needed the confirmation…"

"… Do you know how far along you are?" Sakura hesitated to ask, "I mean, I won't know for sure until I get to do a thorough examination, so do you have a rough guess?"

It took only a moment for Kagome to give her answer. "I'll be exactly 12 weeks along in 3 days," she replied, nonplussed. Sakura blinked in slight surprise at the precise date and Kagome smiled when she saw. "I may not be a doctor Sakura, but I still spent a few years studying medicine."

_Then why aren't you a doctor now? _Sakura was tempted to ask, but refrained.

Even though Kagome was a friend, a good deal of her past was still a mystery to Sakura. However much the pink haired woman wanted to know, it didn't necessarily mean it was okay to ask such a personal question. Besides, she had seen the brief flicker of melancholy in Kagome's eyes when she had said that sentence. No, it was best to let it slide.

"Kagome," she stated instead, eying her friend carefully, "Not to offend you or anything, but bear in mind that if you don't want to keep the child, there's always the option of abortion…" Sakura tried not to show any negative reaction as she said the word '_abortion'_.

Sakura wasn't a supporter of abortions, but she wasn't one of those extremists. She just believed that each woman had their circumstances and they all had to make the choices for themselves. She may not have supported it and wouldn't ever have one, but it didn't mean that she would condemn anyone who did it. So if Kagome wanted to have an abortion, Sakura would back her friend up wholeheartedly, not shoot her down.

"Thank you Sakura, but I'm keeping this baby," Kagome lay her hand over her belly, "To know I'm pregnant with his child… makes me very… happy actually. Even though she hasn't been born yet, I love her so much already and I'll do anything in my power to care for her."

Sakura tried not to smile. "Her?"

Kagome let out a tender smile. "I have a feeling it's a girl."

"You know Kagome, if there's anything you need in the future please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be more than happy to help and I think Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi and every one else feels the same. We'll be here for you if you need us."

"I appreciate that," Kagome replied, touched at her friend's sincerity, "But could you promise me something? Please don't tell anyone I'm pregnant yet. Not Kakashi, not Naruto and definitely not Sasuke. I'll tell them in my own time, but… Not right now."

Sakura's brow wrinkled. "Why not?"

"Because I know them. They'll do anything in their power to help me out and I don't want that. I want to be able to fully take care of my child without their help. I want to know whether I will be able to make it on my own as a mother," Kagome explained calmly, and based on the look in her eyes Sakura knew she was serious. "I can't do that if they want to help me out as soon as I'm having difficulties."

"I'm sure you'll be a great mother Kagome." Sakura meant it from the bottom of her heart.

Kagome smiled in thanks. "So, do you promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

Suddenly, there was a niggling question at the back of Sakura's mind. She couldn't help but ask. "…What about the child's father? Do you know who he is and if you do, do you want him to be involved? I know you don't want any help, but he _is _the father. He can help you with child support and make things a little easier for you."

Kagome shook her head. "I know who he is Sakura, but I don't think I want to tell him. You see… we were both drunk when we slept together, and I left before he woke up. I don't think he even remembers that night…"

"Why do you think that?" Sakura questioned.

"Well, otherwise he would have apologized and tried to make it up to me or avoided me entirely." Kagome let out a wry laugh when she saw Sakura's expression to the statement. "It has happened before, I'm afraid. But don't worry. It was because I confessed to him, not because of any sordid bedroom activities. Still, I _know_ him Sakura. I know him as well as I know myself. He's not the type of guy to pretend like it never happened. So obviously, he doesn't remember," she concluded.

"If he doesn't remember Kagome, then I think you should tell him. It's the right thing to do," Sakura urged her friend. Kagome had just admitted to an incident of _confessing_ to the guy. It was obvious that she cared about him. She may even be in love with him.

"I can't do that…" Kagome sighed softly, looking away.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not? I think he has the right to know, being the father and all. Unless of course he isan _utter_ bastard and the child's better off without him," she attempted to joke.

Kagome let out a laugh. "Not a bastard. No. I've known him for a long time now, and he… He doesn't say much and is a little distant with everyone. He can be so thick-headed about people's feelings and he's got enough emotional baggage to send even Morino Ibiki running for the hills…" Sakura raised her brows. _That_ was the kind of man Kagome was attracted to? Who knew? "But… he's also strong, selfless, kind and sweet… gods Sakura, you don't know how _sweet _he can be sometimes… He's the type of guy that will stop at nothing to reach his goals and protect his friends. He's…" Kagome cleared her throat, a slight blush on her cheeks. "He's a good man…"

Oh, Kagome had it _bad _for the guy, whoever he was.

"So, if he's all that, give me one reason why you don't want to tell him," Sakura questioned.

Kagome hesitated. "Well… our age difference is a bit far apart."

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Really? Age difference? That had to be one of the lousiest reasons she had ever heard. It wasn't like Kagome was still a blushing teenage virgin waiting to be deflowered. No, she was a 25-year-old woman who'd lived one hell of a life. "Kagome, an age difference is nothing so long as you love him."

Kagome snapped her eyes to Sakura's. "Wh-What?" her voice cracked a little.

Sakura enunciated her sentence slowly to put some emphasis into her words. "As long as you love the father of your child, an age difference between the two of you isn't important. So, do you love him or not?" But if Sakura had to guess, she would say that Kagome did love him.

Kagome's blue eyes welled with emotion. "… Yes, I love him… Very much so." Her voice was gentle, as was her smile.

"And does he love you?" Sakura asked.

Kagome's eyes grew distant as she contemplated on her answer. She loved him, no question about it. She had fallen heart and soul in love with him when she was still a girl, and she knew that even after all this time her affections remained as strong as ever.

She had always been certain of her feelings for him. But whether or not he loved her? (It was funny. She had told Sakura she knew him as well as she knew herself, but yet she couldn't figure out if he loved her…)

Her beloved had never been the most talkative of men, and so he rarely expressed his feelings for her, much less told her what she meant to him. In fact, Kagome couldn't recall a single instance of him saying _I love you _in a romantic sort of way before. So, did that mean he wasn't in love with her?

But then again, there were the little things he did…

Kagome searched through her memories of all the times she spent with him. He seemed aloof and standoffish around most people, but she was one of the few whom he showed a different side of himself. He was always considerate and gentlemanly towards her and whenever he displayed his sweet side, it never failed to warm her heart and threaten her to tears. He never liked being touched, but somehow he never minded when it was hers. There were times when he behaved in what could be called flirtatiously with her, but she could never be sure.

Also, every time he looked at her, there was someindecipherable emotion in his gaze. _Was it love?_

Out of all her friends, he knew her the longest and the best. He could always tell how she was really feeling inside no matter how hard she tried to hide it. No one else in the world could do that.

_Wrong, wrong, wrong, _her mind suddenly chanted._ There had also been_… Kagome forced the thought away. But it was too late. She couldn't stop the dark memories from surfacing.

**Flash**. _Rain. Thunder. Lightning. Blood. Tears. Death. _(He was gone. Gone, gone, gone…)_ Gaze empty, heart beating no more, cold to the touch, never to smile at her again, never to touch her again, never to call her name again. Never to love her again. Pain. Heartbreak. A pyre in flames. Ashes blowing away by the wind. Half of herself gone. Shattered. _(Goodbye, my love…)**Flash.** _Years pass. Sitting alone in a bar. Drowning away sorrows. Seeing him there. Another man. A different man. But with a place in her heart nonetheless. Drinking together. Sharing grief. _(Can you make my pain go away…?) _Drunk. Following him home. An accidental kiss. Eyes lock. Passions collide. Coming together in a tangle of desire and desperation. Finally, finally... Hearts and souls touch. _(I see you. I love you. I've always loved you…)**Flash.** _The morning after. Waking up in warmth. Beyond happy._ (I love you I love you I love you. Don't you know how much I love you?)_ Tender smile at his sleeping form. A gentle hand in his hair. He shifts. Mumbles a name. A different name. Her smile fades. Her hand falls away. _(Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong…)_ Years ago, he had broken her heart. Now, he had done it again. She purifies the room. Leaves quietly. Quickly. Only cries once she's at home. _(Pain, pain, pain… Broken, broken, broken…)

"Kagome?" Sakura's voice was concerned.

The woman looked at her friend, and Sakura could swear she saw tears in the corner of her eyes. "It doesn't matter what I feel Sakura. Or what he feels," Kagome stated solemnly. "He's taken."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "Taken?" Meaning Kagome had slept with… a _m-married _man?

One part of her felt appalled that Kagome would do something like that, but another part marvelled at how the woman handled it. Sakura knew that Kagome was the type of woman who always put others before her own, but she never expected that Kagome would readily choose to raise her own child without burdening the father even though she loved him. That she would choose not come between him and his wife.

"You think I'm a whore?" Kagome's smile was wry.

Sakura gaped as her mind took a second to process the question. "W-What? N-no! Of course not!" she denied vehemently. "No matter what, you're still my friend and I'll always love you and be here for you!"

Kagome knew that she meant every word.

"Thank you Sakura," she replied sincerely, "I'll always be here for you too, if you need me."

The two women smiled at each other in silence, but were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sakura glanced apologetically at Kagome. "Come in," she called and a moment later a messenger peeked his head in.

"Sorry for bothering you Sakura-san," he said formally, "But Hokage-sama is looking for you."

"I understand," Sakura said with a nod, "Tell Shishou I'll be along soon. Just let me finish up with my patient first."

"All right," the messenger bowed and closed the door.

"Sorry," Sakura started to apologize but Kagome shook her head.

"No it's fine Sakura," she replied with a smile, "After all, it _is_ the Hokage who's calling."

"Doesn't stop me from feeling guilty though…" Sakura murmured, before she raised her voice. "Listen, Kagome. I'm not trying to offend you or push you away or anything, but is it okay if I refer you to another doctor? I'm not that confident in this… but Kanzaki-san is an obstetrician and so she's much more knowledgeable about pregnancy and childbirth than I am. She's also a friend, so you can trust her to keep your secret for as long as you want to."

Kagome nodded gratefully. "I understand Sakura. Thank you."

"Just speak with my receptionist and she'll schedule an appointment for you," Sakura instructed.

Kagome paused on her way to the door and turned to face the pink haired medic. "Remember what you promised me Sakura. Don't tell anyone about me being pregnant okay? I'll do it myself."

Sakura smiled. "I know, I know. But you do know that you won't have long until you start to show right?" She indicated to Kagome's belly.

"Oh yes." Kagome sighed. "I'll tell my friends, but not anyone else. You know how some of the people in Konoha are like. If they find out about me they're going to start shooting their mouths off with all these rumours about exactly how I got pregnant, who the man is, how I'm a whore, how much shame I'm bringing and yadda, yadda, yadda," she added with a nonchalant shrug. "If me keeping quiet about it for a while means a few more months of peace, then I'll take it."

It was harsh, what Kagome said.

But it was also true. Already, Sakura could imagine all the people belittling her friend – always badmouthing her behind her back, pointing fingers at her and scorning her for having a child out of wedlock.

Her blood boiled at the thought.

"If they go on about how disgraceful I am, fine. I'll bear it. If they call me nasty names, also fine. I'll bear it too. But the moment they insult my child, oh it's on. I'll beat them so hard they go back crying to their mommies," Kagome muttered darkly, not noticing Sakura's look of surprise.

Kagome glanced at her friend, and took in her reaction calmly. "Mood swings," she shrugged.

"Ah…" Sakura said, as if that explained everything.

.

End Prologue

* * *

><p>Hi there my lovelies, and welcome to the revamped version of 'Love Actually.'<p>

For old readers, I've already explained why I'm revamping this in the original. For new readers, welcome! I hope you enjoy!

If you compare this version with the original, you'll see that although it's majorly rewritten, the core of the chapter remains the same. There's also a glimpse of the future chapters with that little flashback of Kagome's. Yes. It is angsty and tragic. No, I'm not sorry for writing it. For old readers, yes. The person that died is who you think it is. :)

In the original, I wasn't happy with my characterisation of Kagome in this chapter. So in this I made her a bit calmer, more rational. For old readers, you know she's been through a lot. Hence her maturity and composure.

I've cleaned up the dialogue, added some bits of foreshadowing, made the writing flow more naturally and so on. It's also a bit longer, and I guess that might be a good thing...?

So, you do you like this version? Or do you prefer the original? Please tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 1

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

.

Later that night, Sakura left the office with many thoughts running through her head.

The pink haired medic found it hard to reconcile the woman that she saw today with the Kagome that she knew. The Kagome that she knew wouldn't have chosen to become a single mother. The Kagome that she knew wouldn't have gotten drunk to the point where her good sense flew out of the window. The Kagome that she knew wouldn't have slept with a married man.

At the mere thought of the child's father, Sakura clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles cracked.

If she ever found out who that bastard was, he would suffer. No doubt about it. Sakura wouldn't kill him, oh no. She would just hurt him to the point where he felt such unendurable agony that he begged for death. But of course she wouldn't grant him that. She would heal him so that he was perfectly healthy, and then she would hurt him all over again. She wouldn't stop until she felt like he repaid the hurt he caused her friend.

Sakura knew that she was being a tad irrational about this, but Kagome was her friend. She was allowed to take sides and hold a grudge against the man who had broken her friend's heart like this. And she knew that Kagome was heartbroken.

The expression on her face after Sakura asked if the man had loved her…

Sakura growled. She definitely wanted to hurt him.

After several more minutes of walking, Sakura arrived at her apartment complex. She checked her letterbox for mail and after seeing there was none, she headed up the stairs to the flat at the top floor. Outside of her door, she spent about a minute cursing as she rifled through her purse in search of her keys.

_Ah, finally, _she thought as her hands clamped around a familiar piece of metal.

She pulled it out and inserted it into the lock. The door opened with a quiet click and Sakura stepped inside her apartment, shutting it silently behind her. She took several deep, calming breaths and smiled when a familiar smell entered her nose.

_Sasuke's scent, _Sakura thought dreamily. It looked like her husband had returned from his latest mission.

Sakura tiredly kicked off her shoes and dumped her purse onto the couch. Her feet padded silently across the floor as she made her way to the bedroom. She entered the dimly lit room and the sight that greeted her warmed her heart to bits.

Sasuke was sprawled out on his side of the bed, fast asleep.

He was shirtless, so Sakura had to clamp down hard on her lust when she saw how his pale but well-toned chest seemed to glow ethereally in the moonlight. No matter how many years passed, it seemed like Sasuke would always have that type of effect on her… As he slumbered on, Sakura took in the expression on his face. There was no anger, moodiness or hatred like back when they were Genin nor was there any sadness, guilt or regret for his past actions.

There was only… peace. Youth. Innocence.

Sakura didn't want to disturb his rest, so she quietly snuck past him and headed into the bathroom. There, she changed into her sleep clothes and got herself ready for bed. She yawned tiredly as she exited the bathroom and gently climbed onto the bed.

She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, soon falling to sleep with a sated smile on her lips.

* * *

><p>Sakura woke to the feeling of being surrounded in warmth.<p>

She smiled. Yesterday, she had fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around Sasuke and her whole body pressed against his back, but it seemed like sometime during the night their positions had reversed.

Now, he was the one spooning her.

_As much as I would love to stay like this all morning… _she thought with a rueful sigh. She couldn't stay, no. She had to get up, get dressed, make breakfast and head down to work otherwise Tsunade would have her head. She couldn't let herself be late or skip work because the hospital was currently understaffed. With that thought in mind Sakura slowly started to make her way out of bed.

But alas, it was not meant to be.

As she attempted to extract herself from Sasuke's arms, they wound themselves even tighter around her waist. Sakura rolled her eyes heavenward and blew away a couple of stray pink locks away from her face. Then, with a determined look, she tried to free herself again.

The end result was Sasuke growling in annoyance and pulling her closer.

He buried his face in the back of her neck and mumbled sleepily, "Mrs Uchiha, don't you even dare think of leaving me alone in this bed."

Sakura tried not to smile at how cute he sounded. "Mr Uchiha," she replied mirthfully, "Let go. I have to get to work."

"Fuck work," was Sasuke's eloquent reply.

Sakura shook her head in amusement but as soon as her eyes landed on the clock, all traces of playfulness vanished. "Uchiha Sasuke. I'll give you on the count of three to let go of me or else…" Her voice was stern now.

"_Uchiha_ Sakura," he replied in a tone just as dry, "We haven't seen each other in over a month. So for just once in your life, skip work, have a lie-in with me and we'll spend the day together."

The pink haired medic let out a small huff of annoyance and channelled her chakra to her fists. Within the next fifteen minutes, Sakura had already gotten ready for work while Sasuke was glaring holes in her back. "Don't look at me like that Sasuke. You know how much my work means to me," she informed him primly as she eyed his reflection in the mirror.

"Tch," Sasuke muttered as he got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom with his civilian clothes in hand.

Sakura went to the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast. As she was frying up some eggs and bacon, Sasuke came in, took a seat and quietly watched her while she worked. Once the meals were done Sakura handed a plate to her husband with a cheerful smile on her face. Instead of smiling back he glared at her. Sakura tried not to roll her eyes as she sat down and started eating.

Men could be so petty sometimes.

"So Sasuke…" she began after taking a bite of her eggs, "What are your plans for today while I'm gone?"

"…I'm not staying at home. Maybe I'll take a walk and meet up with the dobe for some drinks," he replied quietly.

Sakura bit her lip. "Er, since you only got back yesterday, you probably don't know this…" At Sasuke's raised brow she continued. "Naruto and Kakashi got sent on a mission to Sunagakure a month ago. From what I've heard it'll take them about… 5 months, maybe 6 to complete it?"

Sasuke let out an irritated sigh. "_Great_. Means it's just the walk then…"

Sakura nodded and took a bite of her bacon, but when her eyes landed on the time, she swore. "Shit I'll be late!"

She quickly gobbled up the rest of her breakfast and began grabbing her things. On the way to the door, she gave Sasuke a quick peck on his cheek before she left the house without another word.

A few moments after her departure, Sasuke stared at the remains on his breakfast in distaste before pushing it aside. He let out a deep sigh as he tidied up the kitchen a bit before heading for the door. He made sure to lock it behind him as he left the apartment and made his way down to the streets. He picked a random direction and started walking, slowly taking in the sights and smells.

_Sometimes, it gets so fucking lonely in there, _he allowed himself to admit.

But hell would freeze over before Sasuke ever told Sakura that. He knew that husbands and wives weren't supposed to keep things like that from each other, but he hated showing weakness. He hated it so much that he never wanted to show that weak and pathetic side of himself to his wife of all people. He had to protect her. He couldn't afford to be weak.

However, Sasuke couldn't help but think that he and Sakura never acted like how a married couple should.

They both led busy lives – Sakura was one of the top healers while Sasuke was one of the most powerful Jounin Konoha had to offer – and so they rarely had the time to see each other, much less spend time together. Sasuke could go weeks without even seeing his wife because of all the missions he got sent on, and Sakura would always be caught up with either her patients, some medical research or something along those lines.

Sasuke knew of other couples who could find that perfect balance between working and spending time together (Shikamaru and Temari immediately came to mind), but somehow he and Sakura just couldn't be one of them.

Ever since they got married, sex was far and few between.

Normally, Sasuke wouldn't be bothered by something like this. In fact, he would have been perfectly content to even have just a lazy day in the house with Sakura. No thoughts of work between them. Only pleasant conversations, relaxation and a nice home-cooked meal.

But, even he had… _needs_, sometimes. As would any guy.

Heck, Sasuke's sex life was wretched to the point where he believed even _Naruto _was up to more naughty time with Hinata than him with Sakura. The Uchiha wondered at how miserable his marriage suddenly turned out to be.

When they were young and innocent… _No_, his mind corrected. He had never been innocent. For a time maybe, before the slaughter of his clan. But after that… no, he had not been innocent. Sakura had been the innocent one among their team. Sakura, who had never known pain and suffering beyond compare. Sakura, who had never seen the utter dark side of human nature. Sakura, who had never needed to grow up before her time. Sakura. Young and innocent little Sakura.

Back then, she had chased after him like the rest of his fan-girls, and Sasuke had never paid much attention to her. Why should he?

Her infatuation, ignorance and childishness had gotten on his nerves, to be honest. Every time she had yelled '_Sasuke-kun!'_ in that simpering voice of hers, he wanted to slap her silly, tell her to shut the hell up and leave him alone. For a brief moment of time, Sasuke had been angry and resentful at her for having her innocence, when he, _he, _had been robbed of his. Once that resentment and anger had faded into indifference, he merely tolerated her presence because she was a member of his team.

But then, she started to grow up.

The first time he really, _really, _took notice and saw her in a different light was during the Chunin exams. The moment where she declared she didn't want people to fight for her anymore. Where she vowed to make herself a better Ninja and even sheared off her hair.

That was the moment he saw a glimpse of the woman she would become. He liked it.

After he left Konoha, he didn't see her again for a few years until she and Naruto came searching for him at Orochimaru's hideout. He remembered thinking how much more mature she had become, how much more beautiful. The crush she had on him also seemed to be gone too, so that was a good thing.

When he finally returned to Konoha, she was one of the few that genuinely welcomed him back with open arms. Sasuke found himself spending a lot of time with her as they searched for concrete evidence to clear his brother's name. He remembered those days where they were both holed up in an office somewhere or a room in the Uchiha compound, pouring over mountains of scrolls for _something _that would help their case. Whenever they did find that something, her eyes would light up in such delight. A faint blush of triumph would appear on her cheeks and the smile she sent him always managed to thaw a bit of his frozen heart.

Those simple days spent with her had become some of his fondest memories.

He had fallen head over heels in love with her after that, and their courtship had been slow but nevertheless full of passion and fire. When they had finally wed, Sasuke thought himself to be the happiest man in the world. For a brief moment, he let himself believe that even after all the stupid mistakes he had made in the past, he could still have a happy ending.

That was a few months ago. And now…

It seems like Sakura took their marriage for granted. She didn't spend much time with him and sometimes she could be so cold. Sasuke was not a needy man per se but sometimes he just missed her, damn it. He missed hearing that funny chortle that she developed whenever she laughed for too long. He missed the feel of her body against his, how perfectly she seemed to fit in his embrace. He missed waking up to the smell of her hair in his face, but mostly he just missed _her. _Maybe it would have been better for them if they hadn't gotten married and just continued dating. Sakura had put in a lot more effort then…

Sasuke sighed again and let his eyes wander, hoping to find something to distract himself from his thoughts.

It was still early in the morning, so there weren't much people out. Most of his friends were probably still in bed, asleep. In fact, Sasuke was sure that he was the only one of his male friends who was awake at this time. Well, maybe Rock Lee. But he wasn't that close to the spandex wearing ninja.

_Stupid dobe, _he thought unreasonably. _Why'd he have to go and get himself such a long ass mission?_

Sasuke passed by an alley and from the corner of his eye he could see the figure of a person hunched over, throwing up miserably. He wrinkled his nose at the unpleasant smell and hastened his pace, eager to get away.

"Damn it…" he heard the person mutter, and Sasuke froze in his tracks.

He recognized that voice.

The Uchiha turned slowly and stared. The alley was dimly lit but he could still make out a slender feminine shape with long black hair…

"Kagome?" he called out.

The figure, momentarily free from vomiting, turned to face him. Like Sasuke had predicted, it was indeed her. "Sa-?!" Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but quickly looked away and puked again. Sasuke quickly strode over to her and held her hair out of the way.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

He couldn't guess why she was throwing up. There wasn't the stench of alcohol on her, so that eliminated the possibility of being drunk. Maybe she was sick because she ate something bad? Ah, whatever the reason, first he had to get her to a doctor.

"Come on, I'll take you to the hospital," he told her after she finally stopped throwing up.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm fine Sasuke. I don't need a doctor."

Sasuke crossed his arms at her as she stood up. "Don't need a doctor?" he repeated dryly, "Kagome, you were puking your guts out for no apparent reason. And you're telling me you don't want to see a doctor?"

"I don't need a doctor. This is normal."

"Normal?" He raised his brow.

Sasuke didn't miss the brief look of panic on Kagome's face before it melded into one of casualness. "It's nothing," she replied nonchalantly, "I'm throwing up because of some bad sashimi I had yesterday. I thought it tasted funny but I just kept on eating. Well, serves me right for being such a glutton. Remind me never to shop from that fish stall at the end of my street again." She was babbling.

"Kagome, only lies have detail," he pointed out sardonically.

"I'm not lying," she sniffed, turning away. Kagome absolutely, positively, did not want Sasuke to find out. If he knew… to put it simply it would cause all sorts of complications in her life. She didn't want him to know because if he did, he would help her.

Sasuke had always felt like he owed her and was obligated to take care of her because of… Well anyway, he had his own family to care for now, so Kagome didn't want to trouble him. The raven-haired woman tried not to panic as she saw him thinking. It sounded silly and impossible, but she felt as if she could see the literal gears in his head turning as he slowly worked it out.

"Kagome…" Sasuke began, enunciating each word with care. "…Are you… pregnant?"

She knew that there was no point in denying it. She nodded and looked down to the ground.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh. "I feared as much." Then, he spoke in a gentler tone of voice, "Kagome, I want you to know that if you need any help in the future you can always come to me."

"I don't need your help Sasuke," she said slowly. "You have your own household to care for and I'll be fine. Really. I just need a little time on my own to work things out but other than that, I'm fine." Kagome saw that he wanted to argue with her so she cut him off. "Sasuke, let's get this straight. I know that you feel like you owe me a debt and you need to make it up to me, but I've told you before you don't okay?" she stated softly, shaking her head, "I have never once thought that."

Sasuke looked at her with an incomprehensible sorrow in his eyes. "But I…" he stopped and looked away, swallowing deeply. His throat had never felt drier than it did at that moment. "And you were…"

"Yes, and I don't regret one bit of it," Kagome replied softly. "I also don't blame you Sasuke. I never have. It wasn't really your fault." _It was mine,_ she added silently.

Sasuke shook his head stubbornly. "Just please let me help you Kagome. I need to help you. I _need_ to. To ease this…" his breath hitched, and his hand clutched at the area over his heart. He looked like he was about to cry.

Their gazes met, and Kagome's heart gave a painful tug. She just couldn't say no to him, not when Sasuke was staring at her like that with _his_ eyes.

"All right," she finally acquiesced. "Just don't expect me to make things easy for you."

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hi there my lovelies. Here's a revamped Chapter 1. :)<p>

I know I said I wouldn't update until sometime next week, but I just couldn't wait. The response for the revamped version has been really great. In less than 2 days, my inbox has been flooded with quite a few reviews, follows and favourites. So here's a special treat for everyone.

For simplicity's sake I'm going to call the original story Version 1.0 and the revamped one Version 2.0. Makes it quicker to type.

Let's see. In this chapter, I made Sasuke reflect a bit more on his marriage with Sakura. I found it lacking in Version 1.0. You couldn't really see what made him fall for her, especially with how bitchy and unreasonable she acted in Version 1.0. _Yes. _I'm definitely improving on her characterisation in this.

Added some more dialogue to Kagome and Sasuke's conversation. Some foreshadowing too. Hint: the 2nd last paragraph is a clue for something in a future chapter. ;)

I've also made improvements to Kagome's characterisation in future chapters. Before the flashbacks galore started, she really seemed quite oblivious to everything. That will change. I assure you, my pretties.

Okay, so Chapter 2 will probably be posted next week then. An early update will only depend on whether I'm feeling generous. :D

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	3. Chapter 2

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

.

_5 months later…_

Sakura yawned widely as she stretched out in her chair.

Today had been an exhausting day for her. Patient after patient had trickled into her office all through the morning and there seemed to be no stop to them. It didn't help that she had stayed up the whole of last night thinking, theorizing and experimenting on a possible faster way of healing internal injuries.

Sakura sighed. Now that it was her lunch break, how she yearned for a nice, long nap…

Without even realizing it, she closed her eyes and pillowed her head in her arms, quickly falling to sleep on the desk. But suddenly, something hard slammed onto the table and Sakura bolted upright with a small yelp. She instinctively gathered her chakra to her clenched fist and swung towards the intruder. One punch from that would knock them through at least a dozen walls.

When her sleep-addled brain finally processed exactly who was standing in front of her desk, Sakura stopped her attack. Her hand hovered mere inches away from the calm face of the intruder.

"Pig," Sakura scowled in displeasure.

Ino rolled her eyes at the nickname and replied just as snootily, "Forehead."

Sakura let out a deep sigh and resumed her former sleep position. She had less than an hour of lunch break left, and by God she would use every last second to get some well-deserved sleep! When she heard no reply or movement from the blonde, she sneaked a peek. Ino was still standing in front of the desk, with her hands crossed over her ample chest.

"Go _away _Pig," Sakura moaned miserably. "It's my lunch break and I need to catch some shuteye or I'm seriously going to die from exhaustion!"

"Nonsense Sakura," Ino clicked impatiently. "Come on."

Ino walked around the desk and pulled Sakura up. The pink haired woman struggled to get her arm free but Ino refused to let go. She dragged Sakura out of the office and into the corridors of the hospital.

"Ino, where are we going?" Sakura asked pointedly, finally jerking her arm free.

Ino stared at her calmly. "We are going to have some lunch together. I have something I need to tell you."

* * *

><p>Around half an hour later, the two women were sitting at a table outside a restaurant. Sakura was wolfing down her noodles like she hadn't eaten in days. Ino eyed her friend's table manners in distaste but said nothing. She merely nibbled at the corners of her salad in a thoughtful silence. Sakura wondered what Ino could possibly want to tell her that was so important, but she didn't say anything. She would let the blonde tell her in her own time.<p>

"Sakura…" Ino finally began, and the woman raised her brow in surprise. For Ino not to refer to her by the nickname… Whatever the matter was, it had to be something quite serious. "There's a rumour in Konoha that I think you should know about."

Sakura frowned. A rumour? That was the all-important topic? "What rumour?"

"A rumour about Sasuke-kun," Ino replied softly.

Sakura's expression grew serious and her frown deepened. "Talk."

The blonde sighed. "There's been this rumour going around Konoha for some time about Sasuke-kun. Everyone seems to know about it and they call it the 'Scandal of the Century' or something."

Sakura snorted. "Scandal of the century? Okay Ino, so tell me. What exactly is this rumour and how is it the '_Scandal of the Century_'?"

"The rumour is that…" Ino hesitated and bit her lip. "Sasuke-kun is cheating on you."

There was a moment of shock on Sakura's face, before it faded and she dissolved into helpless giggles. Ino observed her friend's reaction in surprise and secretly she wondered if Sakura had turned hysterical.

"Sasuke? Cheating on me?" Sakura continued to laugh. "Have all of these people gone crazy? Seriously, don't they have anything better to do than to come up with silly lies about my marriage and my husband?"

"… I don't think they're wrong, Sakura," Ino replied quietly.

She finally stopped her laughing and stared at her friend. "What, you actually think that Sasuke is cheating on me? How can you say that Ino? You know what he's like, you know he won't do something like this to me."

"People change, Sakura. And Sasuke-kun is no exception."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. Let's say the rumour is true. Sasuke is cheating on me. But how can I have never heard about this before? I work at the hospital Ino, and that place loves gossip more than Naruto loves ramen." Sakura waved her hand to emphasize her point.

"Gee. Tell a woman who can cause an earthquake whenever she punches the ground that her husband is cheating on her. I don't know why anybody didn't think of this before," Ino replied dryly.

"Don't get snappy with me Ino. There's no way Sasuke could be cheating on me. He wouldn't do that to me. He loves me. Would he have married me if he didn't? There were plenty of other girls chasing after him back then but he chose _me, _Ino. Me. So what does this say?" she questioned.

"Like I said Sakura. Feelings fade, and people change. Sasuke-kun is no different."

Ino was being so logical and calm about this. She really appeared convinced that the rumour was true. But Sakura knew her husband. She _knew_ him. He wouldn't ever cheat on her. He just wouldn't.

"Why are you so sure that Sasuke is cheating on me?" Sakura asked, annoyance coating her tone.

"Why are you so sure that he's not?" Ino retorted.

"I _trust_ him. And besides," Sakura sniffed, "I've never had any reason to doubt him. Sasuke always tells me where he's going, who he's meeting with and if I'm not around he leaves a note for me. He's never behaved suspiciously around me and I've certainly never smelled an unknown scent on his clothes before."

At her explanation, Ino's expression changed.

Previously, there had been a cool sort of impatience on her face. But now… Though she didn't show it outwardly, the pink haired medic felt just a tad unnerved at the _pity _she could see in her friend's eyes.

The tiniest bit of doubt started to creep into her.

"Sasuke-kun is cheating on you Sakura," Ino stated firmly, "I know because I've seen them and they weren't even anywhere private. They were in _public._" She paused then, letting that information stew in her friend's brain for a bit. "When I saw them, Sasuke-kun was so different. He was all gentle, kind and tender with her and I've never seen that side of him before. He smiles at her too Sakura. He actually _smiles_."

"But Sasuke can't be cheating on me," Sakura insisted stubbornly, like a small child who was adamant on having her way.

Ino sighed softly and Sakura could still see the _pity_ in her eyes. She hated it.

"I'm telling you Sakura. Sasuke-kun _is_ cheating on you. And what's even worse is that he's cheating on you with a woman you both know," she added, and Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. She clenched her fists so tightly that they trembled. "Think about it. If you were both friends with the woman, it wouldn't seem strange to meet her and there would be no strange scent on his clothes."

Sakura could feel her faith in her husband dwindling. She was also sorely tempted to cry.

But… this was Sasuke they were talking about. Her husband, Sasuke, they were accusing of being unfaithful. Rather than believing such words and doubting him, shouldn't Sakura, as his wife, instead trust in him and his love for her?

Suddenly in her mind's eye, Sakura could see it.

She could see how much her husband enjoyed her being in his arms at night. She could see how passionate he would be every time he kissed her. She could see how much he worshipped her body every time they made love. She could see how much gentler his eyes became whenever they saw her. Sasuke really loved her, she was dead certain of that. That's why he would never do this to her.

"Ino," Sakura said in a determined voice, "I trust my husband."

The blonde looked ready to strangle her friend. "Gods Sakura," she moaned, "You are so freaking stubborn!"

Ino fell silent and took several deep, calming breaths. She didn't speak until she felt like she had sufficiently calmed down enough and therefore wouldn't throttle Sakura for being _such _a bull-headed, irritating and overall frustrating idiot.

"Look Sakura, I am not making any baseless accusations about Sasuke-kun because I saw him together with her. I am telling you about it because you're my friend and I want you to know the truth. I don't want you to be duped by them." Ino went quiet for a moment as she pondered on her next words. What she would tell Sakura could send her friend's marriage past the point of no return. "… That's why, I have something else to tell you. The woman that Sasuke-kun is with… She's pregnant."

Sakura felt her blood turn ice cold. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came.

"She's in no relationships and she's a single mother. No one knows who the father is because she refuses to say anything about him. But it's clear to me and to everyone else that Sasuke is the father. Otherwise, why would he be so devoted to her instead of you?"

Sakura cringed at that last sentence. _Sasuke? Devoted? To another woman? A pregnant woman?_

"Sorry," Ino mumbled, after reflecting back on her harsh words. But Sakura didn't appear to have heard her. She was so caught up in her thoughts and the blonde could see the despair and the heartbreak appearing onto her face. She almost felt sorry for causing it, but then she reassured herself that technically, she wasn't the one who caused it. She wasn't the one cheating on his wife. She wasn't the one who had impregnated another woman.

Ino was just the messenger. It was never the messenger's fault.

The blonde sighed, deciding to give Sakura some space to think about what she was going to do now. She turned her face, looking out to the streets. Her eyes roamed almost lazily around, noting the activity of the street with disinterest. As her gaze passed a shop selling baby merchandise, she saw something that sent her jaw dropping in shock.

"Oh _fuck_," she breathed.

Her whispered curse snapped Sakura out of her thoughts. She felt some curiosity when she noticed her blonde friend staring at something in a certain direction, and so she craned her head to look as well. At first, the pink haired doctor couldn't be sure what she was supposed to be looking for. But when she finally spotted it, she felt her heart tear in two.

Across the restaurant, there was a shop selling all matters of baby merchandise. And in it, was _Sasuke_.

He was standing in the clothes section, rifling through the selections with a purpose. Sakura swallowed dryly at the small smile that appeared on his lips when he picked out one particular outfit that had caught his eye. Sasuke opened his mouth, calling somebody's name and a moment later, a pregnant woman with long raven hair emerged from a different section to stand in front of him. Because of the woman's position, Sakura couldn't see her face, only part of her back and side.

Although the answer was already obvious, Sakura still found herself asking, "That's her Ino? The other woman?"

Ino sighed softly and nodded. "Yeah, that's her."

As Sakura watched Sasuke hold up the outfit in front of the woman's pregnant stomach, tears gathered and fell from her green eyes because of the expression she saw on his face. The utter relaxation of his features, the soft crinkling of his eyes, the small but nonetheless tender smile.

Before, Sakura used to think that she was the _only_ woman Sasuke would ever look at like that. But now…

"Do you want me to go over there and give him a piece of my mind for you Sakura?" Ino questioned gently.

"N-no." Sakura croaked out, still crying. She supposed that if other women had just discovered their husbands were cheating on them, they would feel rage. Indescribable, uncontrollable rage. But not Sakura, no. She didn't feel the slightest bit angry. (Perhaps there would be a time later, much later, where she would feel anger so strong that it seemed as if it could cause earthquakes.) Right now though, Sakura just felt sorrow.

Sorrow, and heartbreak.

Because yes, of course she was heartbroken.

Sakura had loved Sasuke with all her being, and yet he betrayed her like this. It seemed like throughout her life, Sasuke had done nothing but broken her heart. Each time it happened always hurt more than the last.

Sakura's heart lurched painfully when she saw the way Sasuke's eyes lit up as the woman spoke something to him. In the next moment he smiled an _open_, devastating and sweet smile before wrapping his arms around the woman's waist. He didn't let go but held on and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. There was a certain peacefulness to his look now as he whispered something in her ear.

The pink haired woman finally turned away from the scene. She couldn't bear to look anymore.

Ino eyed her friend in concern. "Are you going to be all right Sakura?"

"No," Sakura mumbled with a shake of her head. "… I just need… some time to myself… to sort through everything… "

"Of course." Ino agreed. "Do you want me to go to the hospital and let them know you'll be off for the rest of today?"

She nodded once. "Thanks."

"No problem Forehead." Ino stood up to leave. As she took a few steps for the street, she heard Sakura call her name softly. She turned around and saw the silent horror slowly dawning on Sakura's face.

"_Ino,_" she gasped, as if she were being suffocated, "When you said that Sasuke and I are both friends of this woman… You couldn't possibly mean…?" She couldn't finish the sentence, but Ino knew that she had finally put things together.

Ino let out a sigh. "That's right. It's Higurashi Kagome."

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello there my lovelies. I was feeling generous so here's a revamped Chapter 2!<p>

Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites again! Those really make my day. :)

In this chapter, I expanded a bit (read: a lot) on Sakura and Ino's conversation. I also cleaned up the dialogue since it felt a bit stilted and unnatural in Version 1.0. Hopefully it flows much better now...

I'm looking forward to posting Chapter 3, mainly because it has Sasuke and Kagome... :D

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	4. Chapter 3

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

.

_"That's right. It's Higurashi Kagome."_

Sakura couldn't breathe. The air had whooshed out of her lungs at Ino's statement and now it felt as if somebody's fist was clenching around her heart. Squeezing the life out of her, making her feel absolute _agony_.

She let out a little cry and turned back to the shop, staring intently at Sasuke and the woman. Now that Sakura had a name to match to the figure, she could see the obvious signs of the woman being her friend. No. Not her friend anymore.

_It's Kagome… The woman is Kagome… Sasuke is cheating on me with Kagome… Sasuke is having a **child** with Kagome… Kagome… Kagome… Kagome…_

"Sakura…" A voice was calling her name. "Sakura?"

She didn't reply. All she could focus on was the couple on the other side of the street.

"… I'll just leave you alone then…" the voice said, sounding further away this time.

_The woman over there is Kagome… She is sleeping with Sasuke behind my back… She is pregnant with Sasuke's child… She has betrayed me… Kagome…_

Sakura was an idiot. She really was. Back when Kagome had first come into her office, she had given the doctor clues about the father of her child. Though the clues had been few and no name had been said, right now Sakura could see how obvious the answer was.

She chided herself again for being so stupid. So blind.

One. Kagome hadn't wanted to tell Sasuke about her pregnancy. In fact, she _had_ been rather adamant about keeping him in the dark. (Then why did it change? She wanted to scream. Kagome had wanted to raise her child without letting the father get involved. So why was it different now? WHY?!)

Two. The age difference. Kagome was five years older than him. Three. From what little Sakura knew of Kagome's past, the woman had known Sasuke ever since he was a baby because of her friendship with Uchiha Itachi.

Also, the qualities Kagome had told her about the father also described Sasuke pretty well. Sakura wracked her mind, trying to remember.

Four. The Uchiha was never one to speak much, unlike his blonde best friend. Five. He was aloof. (Isn't that one of the qualities that attracted her teenaged self to him in the first place?) Sasuke had put up a barrier between himself and the rest of the world, only letting in a limited number of people. Previously, Sakura had felt honoured that she was one of the few who Sasuke got close to. She had felt honoured that as his wife, she was the one that he cared about the most. (Of course, now she didn't think that way anymore.)

Six. The emotional baggage… Sakura bit her lip.

If there were such a thing as a contest for the person with the most fucked up childhood ever, Uchiha Sasuke would win. Hands down. Really, with all the things that had happened to him up till now, it was a wonder he hadn't gone insane yet.

Though, he was not completely unaffected by it.

Sasuke was often plagued by nightmares and once in a while they got bad to the point where he would awaken in the middle of the night screaming and shaking profusely. The first few times it had happened while they were together, Sakura had tried to get him to open up to her. Despite her constant reassurances that he could trust her and that it was okay for him to be weak around her, Sasuke never talked about it.

After a while Sakura stopped asking.

Seven. Uchiha Sasuke was a proud man. Honour meant everything to him, even before the face of good reason. Eight. He was also thick-headed and oblivious about people's feelings. There had been times in the past where Sakura had been _this _close to throttling the life out of him because of how infuriating he was being.

However… Sasuke was also brave, and strong. (And that made nine.) He had lived a very hard life, but he never let it drag him down. Ten. If he had a goal, he stopped at nothing to achieve it. Even if it meant leaving everything he knew behind.

Eleven. He was selfless, and would gladly die to protect his friends. Their very first mission to Wave Country with Zabuza and Haku came to Sakura's mind.

Twelve. Despite his cold demeanour, Sasuke was a kind person at heart. Not many people knew it, but he loved children, and always smiled this particular smile whenever he heard them laughing as they played.

Thirteen. In their more private moments, his sweet side always came to the forefront.

Fourteen. He was married to Sakura. 'Taken,' as Kagome had once so aptly put.

In short, Sasuke was exactly like how Kagome described the father of her child.

_I don't believe it… How could she do this? _Sakura questioned herself. Kagome was her friend. She had cared for her. She had trusted her. Yet the raven-haired woman had taken Sakura's trust and trampled on it. _Why did she betray me like that? How could _they _do this to me?_

Sakura felt like she had been played for a fool.

She turned back to the store. As she watched Sasuke and Kagome search through baby clothes together, Sakura felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. With their dark hair, pale skin and unbelievably good looks, the two of them looked striking together. Perfect.

Sakura and her husband also looked striking together as well, but in a jarring way because of Sakura's pink hair and bright green eyes.

Sakura always thought that Kagome was beautiful, while she herself was plain. Kagome was curvy in all the right places. Sakura's chest hadn't grown much since she was a teenager. She even had a large forehead that all the children used to mock her for. Kagome was gentle and womanly, but could also be tough as nails when needed to. She was a true blue _Yamato Nadeshiko, _whileSakura was a violent tomboy with a hair trigger temper.

Kagome was everything that Sakura was not. Honestly, she wasn't surprised that Sasuke would choose Kagome over her.

Between the two of them, Kagome was the more appealing option as a model wife. She could stay at home, clean the house, do the laundry and prepare warm meals for Sasuke when he came home. She would even bear and take care of the many children that Sasuke wanted to have. To Sakura, it seemed like the Kagome she knew was completely suited for that type of lifestyle.

But Sakura wasn't.

No, Sakura didn't want that. She wanted to work. To heal and help people, make medical breakthroughs that would affect future generations. Become the best Kunoichi of her time. A housewife's life wasn't her cup of tea. It never was.

Sasuke wanted a family, and Sakura couldn't give him that right now. She wanted children, yes, but she wanted to wait a few years first.

However… if Sasuke were truly so desperate to start a family to rebuild his clan that he had an affair with Kagome…. Then why did he marry her in the first place? Before they had tied the knot, Sakura had told him that she wanted a career and stability in their lives first before having children. Sasuke knew what he was getting into when he became her husband.

_Did he honestly and truly love me as much as he claimed if he could do this to me? _

If he didn't, then why didn't he marry Kagome back then instead of her? That would have saved her the pain of getting her heart broken again.

Sakura was faintly aware of the tears that were silently coursing down her cheeks. She saw Sasuke place his hand gently against Kagome's pregnant belly, and choked back a sob. She quickly stood up, slammed her money down on the table before fleeing from the restaurant.

She needed to go home so that she could cry her heart out.

She didn't want to embarrass herself in public by being a snivelling, inconsolable mess. So the best place for her to go was home. Also, when Sasuke came back, she could confront him about it.

If they ended up fighting, then it would be all right because they weren't out in public sight.

Sakura exited into the street and channelled chakra to her legs. She quickly made her way to the top of a nearby building and headed towards the direction of their house. Hopefully, she had been fast enough not to be detected by Sasuke.

* * *

><p>Sasuke glanced up sharply when he sensed a familiar burst of chakra and he immediately saw a flash of pink disappear from a roof. <em>Sakura.<em>

"Fuck," he muttered, realizing what Sakura had seen and how she would interpret it.

Sasuke had been aware about the rumours in Konoha about him and Kagome for some time now. He wasn't deaf, nor was he an idiot. Honestly, those rumours made his blood boil. The fact that people assumed he was the type of man who would cheat on his wife, that Kagome was a whore who seduced a married man, showed clearly what they thought of them.

People didn't trust them.

Even though Sasuke and Kagome had already spent 4 years in Konoha making amends and contributing to the village, people still mistrusted them. In their eyes, Sasuke was still the traitor who ran off to Orochimaru, the monster who killed his own brother. And Kagome? She was the slut who ran off _with _Itachi, who probably screwed the older brother and was now screwing the younger one. (Sasuke may have cleared his brother's name, but not everyone in Konoha was so ready to accept the truth. Some people were even violently in denial about it.)

_Let them think what they want then_, he thought with a sigh.

Even if he tried to tell them otherwise, they wouldn't believe him. As Itachi had once put it, people lived their lives by bound what they saw as 'right' and 'true.' They lived by their own assumptions. The truth was only what they thought it to be. Everything out of their 'truth', they would never accept.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" Kagome asked, looking at him curiously.

"No," he shook his head. "It's nothing."

She pursed her lips in a frown. "It's not nothing. You have a slight furrow in your brows _here." _He blinked as she pointed to a certain spot on his forehead. "Which tells me that something's bothering you. So, what is it?"

He sighed. She knew him too well. "…You remember what people are saying about us?"

"That we're sleeping together?" She said this as a matter-of-factly.

Sasuke nodded, trying not to wince. Though she was calm about it now, Kagome had in fact been _pissed as holy hell _when she first found out. The Uchiha had never been more scared of anything in his life than Kagome at the time.

He had seriously thought he was going to die then.

Fortunately, Kagome had not been angry with him. She had only been angry with the people who thought up such offensive things about them. Sasuke had spent a couple of hours trying to convince her to let it go, and that even if she wanted to beat them bloody or disavow the rumours, it wouldn't do any good. They would still believe what they wanted to believe – that Kagome and Sasuke were sleeping together. That he was one who knocked her up.

"What about it?" she asked, her eyes still scanning through the rack of children's clothes.

"I think Sakura believes it too."

Kagome froze, and turned to him slowly. Her blue eyes were wide in surprise. "She _what_? But that's…" she frowned, shaking her head vehemently. "No, that's ridiculous. Sakura _knows _us. Why would she believe we would do something like that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, to be fair to Sakura, you and I _have _been spending a lot of time together recently."

"As friends!" Kagome insisted. "You're just a friend who's kind enough to help me out while I work through everything that comes with being a single mother."

"I know that, and you know that," Sasuke agreed with a quiet sigh. "But other people don't. So instead of seeing two platonic friends spending an afternoon together clothing shopping for that friend's unborn offspring, they see the Uchiha traitor and his backstabbing whore of a mistress embracing in public and flaunting themselves as they clothes shop for their bastard child." At Kagome's look of distaste, he shrugged. "Their words, not mine."

Kagome let out a soft growl. "I couldn't care less about what those gossiping assholes think. But Sakura… Why do you think she believes them?"

"Well. She was here just now," Sasuke stated bluntly. "But she ran away. So yeah, I think she believes it."

"What? She was here? Why didn't you tell me?" Kagome frowned. "We could have explained to her then that it's all just one big misunderstanding!"

"I didn't know she was here until after she left," he replied dryly. "And anyway, aren't _you _the one that's prodigal at sensing people?"

"I told you already," Kagome said, trying and failing to keep calm. "My spiritual awareness has been shot to hell because I'm pregnant. For example, you're standing right in front of me but I still can't sense anything!" She put her face in her hands. "Oh god… if your marriage ends because of me I won't ever forgive myself…"

Sasuke put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It won't end, and it's not your fault Kagome."

"But this whole rumour started because you wanted to help me…" She began, before pausing. Her hand flew to her belly and she let out a hiss of pain. Sasuke's reaction was instantaneous.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. "Are you going into labour?"

Kagome still had a month more to go before she reached the end of her pregnancy, but Sasuke had read that sometimes when the mother was under a great deal of stress, she could trigger an early labour.

The woman shook her head. "No, no, nothing like that. It's the kicking. It's been rather vigorous today…" her voice trailed off, and she let out a small smile. "But it's nothing I can't handle. Now come on! We've got to find Sakura and explain it to her."

"Absolutely not." Sasuke's tone was firm. "_You_ are going home to get some rest. _I'll_ find Sakura."

"Are you sure?" Kagome's voice was sceptical.

"What's with that look?"

"Well… you're not the most…" Kagome paused, thinking of a nice way to say it. She motioned with her hands for emphasis. "You're not the most _tactful_ person around Sasuke. You've also got the empathy skills of a gnat. I think it would be better if I went along."

"No. You're going home, and that's final."

"But—"

Sasuke sighed. "Look Kagome. I can handle Sakura. I married her after all."

"Empathy skills of a _gnat_," Kagome said again, and the Uchiha's brow twitched.

"_I can handle it._"

The woman hesitated. "Well, if you're sure…"

"I'm sure."

"Okay." Kagome said slowly, her brow raised in doubt. Sasuke didn't know if he should be insulted at her lack of faith in him. "I'm going to pay for these." She gestured to the several baby outfits she had clasped in her hands. "After that I'll head home. You should go look for Sakura now."

"I will, after I escort you home first," Sasuke replied.

"What? Uchiha Sasuke," Kagome began with a put upon sigh. "Stop being so overprotective. I'm a 25-year-old woman who's a month away from being a mother. I think I can survive the 10 minute walk home." Her smile was wry. "Now go. The longer you delay, the more hurt Sakura will feel when you find her."

"…" Sasuke hesitated.

"_Go._" There was a warning glint in Kagome's blue eyes.

Sasuke turned around and left.

He wasn't stupid, nor was he suicidal enough to argue with an angry, pregnant Kagome. But why did she have to chase him away so early? Couldn't she tell that part of the reason why he offered to escort her home was exactly because he wanted to delay in finding Sakura?

On second thought, Kagome _did_ know. Yet she still rushed him to the proverbial slaughterhouse. The Uchiha sighed.

If Sasuke knew his wife as well as he should, then she would be at home. If that were the case, he also knew that if he were to go home right now, there was a high possibility he would be ending up in the hospital for a good six months, courtesy of Sakura's fists.

But Kagome was right. The longer he delayed, the longer it took to clear up this misunderstanding. The longer Sakura had to suffer.

With a resigned sigh, Sasuke continued walking home, already bracing himself for the pain that would no doubt be inflicted on him. He entered their apartment complex and slowly made his way up the stairs. When he stood outside their door, he paused and listened for any noises coming inside. He heard some slight sniffling and knew that she was crying again. Sasuke searched his pockets for his keys and inserted it into the lock.

The click of the door opening never sounded more ominous in his life.

It let out a soft creak as Sasuke pushed it open and stepped inside. He could see Sakura's silhouette slumped against the dark corner of the hallway_. _Her arms were wrapped around her knees tightly. Her red eyes were focused on the floor and there were still tears rolling down her cheeks.

Sasuke felt the slightest twinge of guilt at the sight.

Now, there were a few things that Sasuke could have said to Sakura then to clear the misunderstanding and salvage their marriage. _I'm sorry, _for instance. Or _what you saw just now, it's not what you think. _Maybe even _I'm not having an affair. I did not get Kagome pregnant. It was _him_, not me._

Yet, as Kagome had put it, Uchiha Sasuke had no tact whatsoever. Which was why he decided to say this instead.

"I'm home."

It was official. Uchiha Sasuke seriously had to be the most socially retarded person in the history of Konoha…

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello there my lovelies. I said I would update on TuesdayWednesday. Technically it's 1am on a Tuesday morning for me. See how nice I am to you all? :D

Some of you were upset with Sakura and Ino last chapter, and rightly so. They really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. But they're only human, and they've make stupid mistakes.

In this chapter, I expanded a bit more on Sakura's feelings, so you get an insight of where she's coming from. Or at least I hope you do. If I epically failed at this, please tell me...

I added more Sasuke and Kagome interaction too. They're fun to write together. XD

I also made Kagome know about the rumours, because in retrospect it really isn't realistic for her **not** to know about them after all these months. I admit in Version 1.0, my Kagome in the earlier chapters was somewhat lacking in brains_. _*facepalms*

Kagome in Version 2.0 though, I tried making her more mature/badass. I kind of pictured her behaving like a proper and kind lady most times, but when there's danger, she turns into this absolute badass.

For those of you who know about TV Tropes, look under 'Yamato Nadeshiko' and 'Silk Hiding Steel' for examples. :D

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	5. Chapter 4

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

.

When Sakura escaped via rooftop, she had tried hard not to be seen by Sasuke. But it seemed that fate really loved messing with her that day because she felt Sasuke's chakra flare in response to her own and she knew that he'd sensed her.

_I'm sure Sasuke's figured out that I know the truth about him and Kagome by now, _Sakura thought, jumping to a nearby roof.

She entered their apartment and made sure the door was locked even though she knew Sasuke had the keys. Still, it gave Sakura a small sense of victory knowing that it would take him longer to enter.

Sakura then collapsed at the hallway, back to the wall. She drew her knees up to her chest and cried her heart out.

Why?! How could he do this to her? How could he hurt her like this? How could they betray her like this! One was her husband, the other was her friend. She trusted them. _She trusted them, damn it!_

Roughly twenty minutes later, she heard some shuffling outside the door, followed by the jangling of keys.

_Sasuke's home. _Sakura's heart gave a painful lurch. She wasn't ready! Surely now would be the moment where he told her he wanted a divorce, that he would marry Kagome instead. Sakura wasn't ready! She wouldn't ever be ready!

The door opened and Sasuke stepped inside.

Sakura's gaze fell to the floor. She didn't want to look at him when he told her it was over. She didn't want to see the absence of love in his eyes. The love that she thought was once only there for her, but now reserved for Kagome.

What Sasuke said though, totally threw her for a loop.

"I'm home," he said softly, and Sakura's sorrow and heartache went up in smoke. What replaced it though, was rage. Pure, unadulterated, _rage_.

"I'm home?" she bit out, her voice pure poison. She stood up and made her way to him. "I see you cheating on me with Kagome and the only thing you can say to me now is '_I'm home_?!' No apologies, no '_Sakura, what you saw today, it's not what it looks like,_' or '_Kagome and I are just good friends. The rumours are wrong and today I only accompanied her shopping because she asked me to. The hug I gave her meant nothing._' No explanations at all? Just '_I'm home_?!'"

Sasuke stared at her outburst with a raised brow. "Calm down Sakura."

She gaped at him in shock for a moment because _really? _"Calm down?" she repeated, anger blossoming on her face. "Calm down?! I'll calm down when I fucking want to calm down Uchiha Sasuke!" she yelled, clenching her fists. "How _dare_ you cheat on me!"

Sasuke let out a tired sigh. "Figures you would think that…" he muttered, before looking into her eyes. If Sakura were any less angry, she would have flinched from his intense gaze. "I'm not cheating on you Sakura. Why would I? I love you."

The pink haired medic scoffed. "Save your lies for someone else Sasuke. As if I could believe you after what I saw… I feel like such an idiot! The whole village knew about you and Kagome for months and I only found out today! How could you both betray me like that? I trusted you! I trusted both of you! You're my husband! She's my friend! Yet who knew you were both getting it on with each other in the dark!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her words but refrained from snapping back at her.

The last thing he wanted to do now was to make matters worse. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke again. "Sakura, believe me when I say that I am _not _cheating on you. This is all just a simple misunderstanding."

"Just a simple misunderstanding?" Her voice was high pitched and sceptical.

The Uchiha nodded solemnly and blinked when Sakura only laughed in disbelief. "_'Just a simple misunderstanding?_' I saw you embrace her Sasuke! You put your hand on her, you whispered sweet nothings in her ear and the _look_ you gave her…" her voice wavered, and she blinked to clear away the tears gathering in her eyes. "Is that what you call a misunderstanding?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sakura could be really stubborn when she set her mind to it, which only meant that it would be extra troublesome for him because he had to explain doubly hard to get it through to her.

"Kagome and I are just friends," Sasuke tried again. _Be calm. Be patient. Be gentle. Don't lose your temper, no matter how tempting it may be…_

"Oh yeah," Sakura agreed sarcastically. "I've seen how friendly the two of you can be. You couldn't keep your hands off of her…" Sasuke's eye twitched in frustration and he took a deep breath. _Think calm thoughts. Remember, no snapping at the thick-headed wife. No snapping at the thick-headed wife…_

"Who would you rather believe? The words of people you don't know or the words of your own husband Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his tone cold.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll only believe what I've seen with my own eyes Sasuke. And trust me, what I've seen so far doesn't put you in a good light. The rumours and what Ino told me are simply an added bonus," she replied, her tone just as cold.

Sasuke closed his eyes and turned his face heavenward, as if begging for divine intervention. "Ino…" he groaned. "Why am I not surprised? I should have known she couldn't keep her big mouth shut. That freaking bitch should really learn to mind her own business."

Sakura felt her temper flare at his words. "Uchiha Sasuke don't you _dare _call Ino that! She's my friend. She doesn't deserve that kind of language from you just because she was kind enough to open my eyes to the truth and expose you! I would have never known you were cheating on me with Kagome if she'd never told me because no one else would!"

"No one told you because it isn't true," Sasuke said with gritted teeth. "That's the whole point of rumours. They're words with no hint of truth to it."

"Don't you give me that bullshit Sasuke," she growled. Her eyes flashed with anger. "Now all I want to know is why did you cheat on me? When did your affair with Kagome start and why did it have to be _Kagome_? Do you know how much you've hurt me?!"

It was no use. Sasuke was finally losing his temper with his wife. "How many fucking times do I have to repeat this Sakura? Kagome and I are _innocent_! I'm not cheating on you! The affair has no time span because there was never an affair to begin with! Kagome is just a good friend who's going through a difficult time in her life now and I offered my help! You _know _about my history with her so you should know the kind of relationship we share! I only see her as an elder sister, as Itachi's best friend and nothing more than that!" he all but yelled.

"You only see her an elder sister? As your brother's best friend?" Sakura repeated, her voice soft.

Sasuke nodded and let out a sigh, thinking that he had _finally _managed to convince her. He certainly didn't expect the slap that came next. He blinked in surprise as he placed his hand over his stinging cheek.

"I don't believe you Sasuke," Sakura stated.

"Why not?" Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but her words hurt him far more than her slap did.

"I saw how you behaved, the way you looked at her just now. The love in your eyes. That smile on your face. How happy and relaxed you were. It was like she was the centre of your universe." She clenched her fists. "You know Sasuke. We've been married for only a year now. If that's how long it takes for you to find a new squeeze I can't help wondering whether you really loved me in the first place."

Sasuke flinched as if he had been punched. "_Sakura_…"

"No," she bit out. "I've had it. Enough with all the excuses Sasuke and tell me _now. _Why did you marry me and then cheat on me with someone I know? If it'd been a stranger it would've make it easier for me to beat them to a bloody pulp. Why did you get her pregnant? Don't tell me you're really that desperate for an heir to carry on the Uchiha line? I told you we would wait for a few more years before having kids! So why did you do this to me? Why Kagome? Why her! If you thought she was a better choice than me then why did you marry me in the first place?!" Sakura yelled. Her eyes were filled with tears.

She hit Sasuke's chest with her (thankfully _not _chakra-infused) fists over and over again. "Why? Why? Why?" She repeated as she cried.

Sasuke knew that now would be the time for him to wrap her in his arms and comfort her. Now would be the time for him to whisper his explanation in her ear that no, he really meant it when he said that he wasn't cheating on her with Kagome. That he loved her.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

He was just so frustrated and angry at her accusations and lack of trust in him. She was being so unreasonable and stubborn, willing to believe mere rumours spread by stupid people rather than give him the benefit of the doubt. She was being so selfish.

A relationship was all about give and take but it seemed to Sasuke that all Sakura did was take.

"For the last damn time Sakura I am _not _cheating on you!" he hissed. "Even if I did cheat whose bloody fault do you think it is?!" he added as an afterthought. Sakura stopped her pounding on his chest and she looked at him with teary wide eyes.

"_What?!" _she breathed.

"Ever since we got married Sakura, it's always been about _you. _Never about me. It's always been about your needs. Never about mine. It's always been about your wants, but never about my wants. I want to have a family Sakura, but for your sake, I was willing to wait a few more years. Even when you were so busy with work, I never asked you to cut back on your hours to spend more time together because I know how much your job meant to you. Tell me Sakura. Have you ever thought about how lonely I felt every time you rushed off to work and left me alone in that empty apartment?"

Sakura didn't answer him. She only stared.

"I was so _fucking lonely._ It felt like I was living back at the Uchiha Compound again after Itachi slaughtered the clan. But did you notice?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "No, of course you didn't. Because it's all about _Sakura_." He sneered. "We don't act like husband wife Sakura and sometimes I can't help but wonder why we even got married in the first place."

Sakura wanted to embrace him and tell him how sorry she was for not noticing his loneliness. For letting herself get so caught up in her work. She wanted to apologise for making it seem like she only cared about herself when in actuality she loved him _so_ _much_ that it scared her sometimes. She wanted to explain to him why she didn't want to have kids now, why she threw herself in her work. Yes, Sakura wanted to say and do all of those things. But as her brain replayed his words in her head, she found herself getting angry again.

"Wait." Her tone was sheer ice. "Are you implying that it was _my fault _you ended up having an affair?"

Sasuke froze. Shit, when he had said that to her, he hadn't been thinking properly. He had been too hurt and angry to care, and he wanted to take his anger out on her the same way she did with him.

"And that you want to divorce me?"

The Uchiha opened his mouth to explain, but he never got the chance. Before he knew it, Sakura spat out, "Sasuke you _utter _bastard!" and brought her knee straight to his groin. She then stomped angrily past him and out of the apartment, slamming the door shut as she left. It took a few moments for the pain to sink in and when it finally did Sasuke's usually calm face transformed into one of _sheer agony_.

He let out a long moan and slowly sank to the floor, his hands held over his severely injured crotch.

It felt like Sakura had used chakra in that kick of hers. If she did, she may have just permanently destroyed the Uchiha's chances of ever siring children. _How the hell was the Uchiha bloodline going to continue now?_ Sasuke thought as he trembled in pain.

Well, that was just the consequence of pissing off an insanely strong Kunoichi…

* * *

><p>Sakura couldn't stop crying as she wandered aimlessly around the streets. Why and how did Sasuke say such stupid, insensitive things like that to her? Didn't he know how much it had hurt her?<p>

_But he's right you know, _Inner Sakura whispered. _In your marriage, it really has been all about _you_._

Sakura sank to her knees and clutched desperately at her head, trying to make the voice go away. But it was no use. His words were repeating themselves in her mind over and over again.

_"Even if I did cheat whose bloody fault do you think it is?!"_

_"Ever since we got married Sakura, it's always been about you. Never about me. It's always been about your needs. Never about mine. It's always been about your wants, but never about my wants."_

"_Have you ever thought about how lonely I felt every time you rushed off to work and left me alone in that empty apartment?"_

_"We don't act like husband and wife Sakura and sometimes I can't help but wonder why we even got married in the first place."_

"Shut up…" Sakura whispered brokenly. "Shut up!"

She pounded her fists into the ground over and over again, crying out all the grief and heartbreak she felt after discovering Sasuke's affair. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sakura slumped against the wall of an alley.

She had no more tears left in her to cry. The pink haired medic was sure that right now she looked like a complete and utter mess. Her eyes were swollen and puffy from all the crying, her cheeks were glistening with dried tear tracks. Her knuckles were bloody and aching up a storm, and she knew that she should get them checked out. There was a possibility she had broken them.

But Sakura just couldn't find it in herself to _care_.

What was the point? It still didn't change the fact that Sasuke had cheated on her. That he was planning to divorce her and marry Kagome instead. That Kagome was having his _baby. That child was supposed to be mine… _

Sakura felt like utter shit inside so it was only fair that she felt utter shit outside as well.

She was sure that people were looking at her as they walked past (she could practically _feel_ the weighted stares on her body) but she tuned them all out and just focused her eyes on the ground. She wasn't even aware of someone approaching her until she felt their touch on her shoulder.

"Sakura? W-What's wrong?" the voice asked softly.

Sakura looked up and found herself staring into the pale white eyes of a Hyuuga.

"_Hinata…" _she moaned.

"What happened to you?" Hinata asked in a worried tone. Seeing the kind expression on her friend's face, Sakura couldn't help it when she broke down again. Well, it seemed like she still had some tears left in her body. She leaned into Hinata and pressed her face against the other woman's ample chest. Her arms grabbed hold of the robe the Hyuuga heiress was wearing.

"Sasuke's cheating-hic on me with Kagome-hic…" she sniffled, "And he's hic-the father of her-hic baby!"

Hinata frowned at the statement. She was sure that Sasuke wasn't the type of man to be unfaithful to his wife. For one thing, he'd been brought up in a prominent clan like hers. He'd probably then been taught since birth that infidelity was wrong and dishonourable. Sasuke was anything but dishonourable and he would rather die than tarnish the name of his clan.

So why did Sakura claim he cheated on her?

It just didn't add up. Hinata sorely wanted to go and confront the Uchiha about it, but… she glanced down at her friend and decided. Confronting Sasuke could wait. Right now, Sakura was more important.

"Come on," she said, helping Sakura to her feet. "I'm going to take you home with me and we'll get you patched up okay?"

Sakura nodded slowly. Hinata wrapped a comforting arm around her friend and together the two began the long walk back to the Hyuuga compound.

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. It's 12am on Thursday, so here's the new chapter. Please read below for some important notes on the story.<p>

I've already finished rewriting until the hospital and birth in Chapter 8.

**But** as we move on to the flashbacks, updates might be a bit slower, like maybe once a week or something instead of two days, because I'm STILL rewriting them. I'm even adding completely new scenes in some chapters so yeah, like I said it'll take a while.

The flashbacks also ended up being A LOT longer than I originally planned... Curse you Itachi and the way you grew on me in this fic. -_-

The guy went from being a minor character to a major one when I was plotting it. Here's a warning so you all can mentally prepare yourselves for the future. In case I haven't foreshadowed it enough already, Itachi's relationship with Kagome will end in absolute tragedy. It will break your hearts. You will cry buckets of tears. Trust me. I became teary eyed just from even _plotting it. __  
><em>

On a happier note, the next chapter should be up by Saturday, Singapore time.

Please let me know what you think! :)

~Beans


	6. Chapter 5

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

.

Hinata and Sakura entered the Hyuuga compound in a solemn sort of silence. The heiress politely nodded to the servants that greeted them and quietly instructed one to bring her a medical kit. She then brought Sakura to a room meant for entertaining guests of the compound and settled her down. A servant girl soon appeared with some tea and placed the cups silently on the table. Another servant came with the medical kit and after taking it Hinata dismissed the both of them.

Placing the kit beside her, Hinata then carefully took Sakura's hands in hers and started healing. She wasn't officially trained as a medic, but she did know basic medical Ninjutsu. Once she was done, she bandaged Sakura's knuckles.

The pink haired woman hadn't said anything during the healing session. She looked small, uncertain. A far cry from her normal, confident self.

"D-do you want to talk about it Sakura?" Hinata asked softly, offering Sakura the cup of tea. The woman took it with steady hands and silently stared down into the swirling green beverage.

"… I was in my office when Ino came. She dragged me out to lunch and after a while she started telling me all these horrible rumours about Sasuke and Kagome," Sakura said with a shaky breath. Her heart clenched painfully just thinking about it. Had it only just been a few hours ago? "At first I didn't believe her, but the more she talked, the more it started to make sense. Then I finally saw them together in the streets…"

Sakura blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes. Hinata placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I ran home to cry and after that Sasuke came back. You know what was the first thing he said to me? '_I'm home._' As if nothing was wrong." Sakura let out a bitter laugh, and a small frown appeared on Hinata's lips. "I _know _he saw me leaving. I know he realised that I found out about them. So I thought maybe when he came home he would explain it to me, tell me it's all a misunderstanding. Or maybe he would have asked to leave me. Yet what does he say instead? 'I'm home...'"

She clenched her fists, ignoring the spikes of pain from her knuckles. Hinata may have healed away the worst of the bruising, but Sakura still had to take it easy for a day or two. "Uchiha Sasuke is a bastard."

Hinata couldn't disagree with her on that statement after hearing what she said.

"We talked at first, but then it spiralled into a full blown argument. When I tried to ask him to stop lying to me and tell me the truth, he still tried to convince me that he and Kagome were innocent, that he only treated her like a sister. His brother's best friend… Who the hell is he trying to fool?" She snapped angrily. "The facts are against them and no matter how I look at it, Sasuke really is cheating on me. He even implied that we should get a divorce!" Sakura angrily wiped her tears away.

Hinata looked at her friend in silence for a moment before speaking. "Sakura, maybe you should listen to Sasuke-kun. He doesn't seem like a person who would cheat so he might have been telling you the truth. Maybe it's all just a simple misunderstanding. Maybe he and Kagome-san are in-innocent."

She hoped that Sakura would consider her words, but the pink haired woman only sent her a grim smile.

"I _really _want to believe that Hinata. But you didn't see them. You didn't see how Sasuke behaved around her, how he looked at her. Like she was the only thing he needed to live. He used to look at me like that," Sakura swallowed, "And only in private. God Hinata, he even _smiled _at her and hugged her! You know that Sasuke isn't one for public displays of affection… But just now, he was in a shop full of people and he didn't care!"

Hinata let out a soft sigh. "Sakura…"

"There's also one more thing," the woman interrupted. Hinata wisely kept her silence. "A few months ago, Kagome came into my office to do a pregnancy test. After that, we had a chat and she told me some things about the baby's father. She didn't tell me the name, but she didn't need to. All the things she described about him indicated to Sasuke. She even said she loved him. It's obvious that Sasuke doesn't love me anymore. Kagome's the only one he cares about now. I guess I really should divorce him so he can marry her and raise his family huh…?" She questioned softly.

"Sakura, look at me," Hinata said in a louder voice. There was a slight edge of agitation to her tone. "You shouldn't say things like that Sakura! Sasuke-kun does love you. I've seen it! You have to stop saying all these negative things and trust his words, not the words of other people! Kagome-san is your friend too! She and Sasuke-kun would never do this to you! So you have to believe them!"

Sakura blinked in surprise at Hinata's outburst.

If she and Hinata were having this kind of conversation several years ago, the talk would have been much different. The Hyuuga heiress had really grown from that shy, insecure young girl into a strong and confident woman.

She was studying hard under her father, learning about the duties and responsibilities of a Clan Head and there was even talk that she would take over his position by the time she was 25. But then again… it was no surprise that Hinata had blossomed, considering the kind of losses she had suffered during the Fourth Great Ninja War. For better or for worse, war always changed people.

"Maybe you should go and speak with Kagome-san first before you decide things Sakura," Hinata said reasonably. "You should find out her side of the story too, to be fair to her. Though, I really don't think she's having an affair with Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura looked at Hinata with a horrified expression on her face but the Hyuuga heiress was determined. "You can't avoid Kagome-san forever Sakura. You know that."

"I do," Sakura agreed, chewing on the lower corner of her lip. She looked hesitant. "But I… I know it's going to hurt me badly. I don't want to go alone. Can you please come with me Hinata?"

"Of course," Hinata said with a smile. "But we'll go later Sakura. Right now, you need the time to centre yourself."

Sakura flashed a small but appreciative smile at her friend before taking a sip of her tea. It had cooled down to a manageable temperature for drinking. Hinata sipped at her own tea as well, letting out a soft sigh of pleasure as the liquid ran down her throat.

"So… What's going on in your life now?" Sakura asked.

Hinata smiled. "Well…" she began, and started to talk. Sakura listened patiently, occasionally nodding, adding some opinions in and taking sips of her tea. Byakugan or not, Hinata could see the question for the distraction it really was. But she didn't mind indulging the pink haired woman. She understood that Sakura needed some normalcy in her life now, what with the kind of upheaval it had gone through recently.

Now, if the two women weren't currently so distracted with talking to one another, they would have sensed the presence of a certain blonde who had just returned from his mission from Suna standing outside of their room, listening to every word they had said.

The blonde's blue eyes flashed a demonic red in anger for a moment, and he grit his teeth. Turning, he left the Hyuuga compound without a word. The two Kunoichi never even noticed he was there.

As he marched down the streets towards Sakura's house, both civilians and Ninja alike paled and quickly stepped out of the blonde's way. Even someone with no affinity for chakra whatsoever would have been able to sense the sheer killing intent radiating from the usually happy blonde. They were sure he was out for blood. Someone was definitely going to die, or be beaten into a coma.

The people weren't sure who was on the receiving end of the blonde's wrath, but they secretly wished them luck. Some even offered a quick muttered prayer for the unlucky victim's soul.

The blonde ignored them, even though he could pick out what they were saying with his enhanced hearing.

He was too busy trying to come up with a million creative and painful ways to make the Uchiha suffer. How was this his life? Why did he have to find out such a horrible thing had happened to Sakura on the very same day he came back from a 6-month mission?

And to think that the day had started perfectly enough for him!

Naruto had finally returned to Konoha with Kakashi after their half-a-year long diplomatic mission to Suna. The Copy Ninja had known how badly he'd missed Hinata all those long months away so he even let the blonde head home first, offering to report to Tsunade by himself and turn in their mission report. Naruto had been grateful for his ex-sensei's generosity and happily accepted.

He'd run all the way home to the Hyuuga compound, masking his chakra signature so he could give Hinata a surprise. Yet what did he end up overhearing? That Sasuke the bastard was cheating on Sakura with Kagome, having her baby (Kagome was pregnant? Naruto's mind still boggled thinking about it) and he even wanted to divorce Sakura to marry Kagome.

Okay, Naruto had to grudgingly admit to himself that before he and Kakashi left for their mission, he had asked Sasuke to take care of both Sakura and Kagome, the latter especially because he could tell that there was something bothering her. But he certainly hadn't expected Sasuke to care for her _that _well!

Naruto growled. It was an animalistic growl. All he was sure of right now was that there was hell to pay for a certain Uchiha…

* * *

><p>After Sakura had dashed out of the apartment, Sasuke stayed on the floor for the next fifteen minutes, cradling his balls his agony. His privates were sore to the point that he was certain he would <em>never <em>be able to father children for the rest of his life. Oh why didn't he ever take the chance to learn anything more than basic Medical Ninjutsu? Sakura had offered to teach him before in the past but he'd always turned her down. Wasn't he regretting his decision now…?

"_Sakura…_" he hissed in frustration.

The throbbing pain continued for a while until it reached a somewhat bearable level for Sasuke to pull himself up from the floor and stagger to the kitchen. He ransacked the freezer for a bit and pulled out a frozen bag of peas. He heaved a sigh of relief as the cool sensation numbed his senses. As the pain _finally _started to lessen, Sasuke leaned against the kitchen counter and hoped that Sakura's kick hadn't damaged anything too badly.

He knew he should see a doctor to make sure that everything was still working normally, but it hurt to move. Maybe later then, when his balls didn't feel like they were going to fall out if he took even a step.

Now though, Sasuke had a lot of free time, and he found himself thinking about his fiery wife.

He sighed. _Maybe I should have just explained it to her instead of giving her vague answers and expecting her to trust me,_ the Uchiha thought with some guilt, before shaking his head once. No, he had promised Kagome he wouldn't tell anyone who the father was or the kind of situation that had led to her becoming a single mother so he wouldn't. His word was his law. Besides, Sakura was his wife. She should have trusted what he told her, not doubt him.

It took a brief moment for it to sink in to Sasuke that after all Sakura had seen that day, trusting him was the least expected thing she would do.

His wife had heard those nasty rumours about him and Kagome. The Uchiha believed that Sakura had probably tried to refute them because she trusted him. However, her trust had also probably been lost the moment she saw him with Kagome in the baby shop.

Sasuke had to wonder. _Do I really behave differently around Kagome?_

In retrospect he probably did behave like a different person around her, and he found absolutely nothing wrong with it. He just wished that Sakura could _understand _why he did so.

Sasuke was nearly twenty-one now. He'd known Kagome ever since he was born. Heck, according to his mother Kagome had been there with Itachi in the hospital room to see him before his own father had. The raven-haired woman had watched him grow up. She'd known and seen what he had been like before the Uchiha Massacre, back when he was still an ignorant kid.

His young self had looked up to her. His current self felt comfortable with her. He could relax around her, talk about the past.

Higurashi Kagome had to be one of the few, no_, _possibly the _only_ person that Sasuke could talk to about Itachi. Other than Sasuke himself, Kagome knew Itachi best. It stung, but she probably knew his brother better than he did, considering the years she'd spent with him after he left Konoha.

Other than Sasuke, Kagome was probably the only one around who even loved his brother. It was sad. But nevertheless true.

Sasuke had always known that Itachi had loved her, _deeply_. It was his brother's love for Kagome that made Sasuke decide to protect her in the first place, back when he was still a Missing-Nin set on destroying Konoha. Kagome had found him soon after he had killed Danzou and convinced him not to attack the village. She had slapped him and said that he'd have been spitting on Itachi's sacrifice with his actions. Sasuke hadn't listened, at first. He'd been angry and hurting. But with Kagome by his side, he'd been able to work through his grief and even chose to help the Ninja Alliance during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

After the War and the years that followed, Sasuke always watched out for Kagome. Because a large part of him felt that he _owed_ it to his brother to protect her.

Itachi had dedicated his life to Sasuke, even dying for him. So the least Sasuke could do was do the same for Kagome right? To take care of the woman that his older brother loved? That was why he so readily volunteered to help take care of her and her unborn offspring.

But don't misunderstand him.

Sasuke genuinely cared for Kagome, loved her even. But he also helped her because of his guilt. Kagome knew about Sasuke's feelings, and she'd always tell him he didn't owe her.

It still felt like he did though.

Especially with the knowledge that something he did in the past led to Kagome being scarred for the rest of her life. Not physically scarred, but mentally.

That guilt… Sasuke was sure what he felt would never go away. He'd carry it to his grave, and he would never talk about it because if he told someone, he would feel better. Sasuke didn't want to feel better. He didn't think he deserved it.

Which was the reason why he never told Sakura too, even though she was his wife.

Sasuke snapped out of his contemplations when he heard someone pounding on the front door. He placed the bag of peas, now not so frozen anymore, on the counter and made his way to the hallway leading to the door. As he approached, the knocking got louder and louder and soon there was a shout of, "Oi teme! Open the damn door! I know you're in there!" from the other side.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. The dobe had finally returned.

When Sasuke was several metres away from the door, it was suddenly kicked open and he felt himself being pounced on by an angry, irate blonde. The Uchiha wasted a second to be surprised at Naruto's behaviour before his sense of self-preservation kicked in. He struggled to push the blonde off of him, but winced when Naruto successfully managed to land a punch on his ribs.

He retaliated with a punch to the jaw. Naruto's face whipped to the side with a loud crack.

A normal person would have been stunned by the force of that blow. But when was Naruto ever normal? He merely wrapped his hands around Sasuke's neck and _squeezed_, ignoring the continuous punches to his ribs. The Uchiha uttered a strangled choke and grasped at the blonde's hands, trying to pry them off.

It was like bending steel. Sasuke gasped. His vision started to darken.

He let out one final, desperate kick and hit Naruto straight in the ribs with all of his strength. There was the sound of bones snapping and the blonde let go. Sasuke immediately threw the man off of him and sat up. He took in a breath and rubbed at his sore neck. He was sure there were purple shaped finger marks already forming on the skin.

"What the _fucking_ hell was that for Naruto?" he yelled, a scowl on his face.

Seriously. Did he have a fucking bulls-eye painted on his back or something? Why was he being attacked by everyone and their mother today?

Naruto glared back. "That was for Sakura-chan you bastard! Teme what the hell is wrong with you! How could you cheat on Sakura-chan with Kagome-chan!"

Sasuke let out a moan of exasperation. Really? First Sakura, now Naruto?

"I _did not _cheat on Sakura," he hissed out, staring unflinchingly into the blonde's blue eyes. "Kagome and I are innocent damn it. Why does everyone in Konoha think I'm cheating on Sakura? Do I look like the type to be disloyal to someone?"

"You really going to go there teme?" Naruto asked, his brow raised.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a breath. "Forget I said that…" he mumbled, remembering that he _had _been disloyal to Konoha by running off to join Orochimaru.

"When I came back from my mission, Hinata was talking with Sakura-chan and I heard everything they said. You even made Sakura-chan cry teme," Naruto said darkly, and for a moment his eyes were red.

The Uchiha sighed. "Look Naruto, for the last time I swear I am not cheating on Sakura. I took care of Kagome because it was the right thing to do. She was pregnant and alone. She didn't want the father in the picture and she was set on being a single mother. What would you have done in my situation?" he questioned, and the blonde softened his glare. Naruto would have done the same thing. "All I can tell you is that I'm _not_ the father. The situation with the actual father is complicated. I'm sorry but I can't say more than that. I promised to keep her secrets for her so you're just going to have to trust me."

Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke in silence. The Uchiha could see the doubt vanishing from his eyes.

The blonde finally let out a sigh. "All right, all right. I'll trust you teme. But you really need to go and explain to Sakura-chan. I don't care if you promised Kagome-chan but Sakura-chan's your wife. She has the right to know."

Sasuke paused. "I think I'd like to give Sakura some time alone first before talking to her again."

Naruto rubbed his bruised jaw carefully as he looked around the apartment and his eyes fell on the bag of peas lying on the counter. "Sakura-chan did something to you before she left, huh?" he asked wisely. Sasuke had to admit, Naruto could be quite observant sometimes.

"…She kneed me in the groin… And I think she used chakra…" Sasuke replied slowly.

Naruto winced in sympathy. "Seriously? That had to hurt."

"You have no idea…" Sasuke's voice was blank, his face pale.

A chakra enhanced kick to the groin courtesy of Sakura-chan huh…? Naruto didn't really envy Sasuke right now…

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. It's 2am on a Saturday and I just got back from clubbing, so here's the new chapter.<p>

I cleaned up Sakura and Hinata's dialogue in this because I felt that it sounded a little unnatural in Version 1.0. I also made Hinata more confident instead of shy and meek like in Version 1.0 because The Fourth Great Ninja War _did_ happen in this story universe and I think she would have matured from that experience.

I also expanded a bit on Sasuke's thoughts and included more foreshadowing! I bet a few of you are wondering how exactly did Sasuke mentally scar Kagome for life? All I can say is the more perceptive ones will probably figure this out by Chapter 8. *evil grins*

In the next chapter, guess who finally appears? XD

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	7. Chapter 6

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

.

Hatake Kakashi strolled down the corridor of the Hokage Tower, a hand in his pocket. The other held the lucky mission report that the man had decided he would turn in on time. Kakashi generally handed in his mission reports ranging from a few days late to a few weeks (much to the annoyance of the administrating Ninja) but sometimes when he was feeling magnanimous or whimsical, he would hand in it within the deadline.

The Copy Ninja had the usual lazy look in his visible eye, but inwardly he was rather pleased. It felt really good to be home again after 6 months.

There were things he needed to do, people he needed to see. Kakashi was looking forward to meeting his comrades, friends and former students again. Normally, the man was aloof with them and preferred his solitude but after being away for so long, he had to admit that he kind of missed them. A visit to the Memorial Stone was also long overdue and Kakashi reminded himself to pay respects to Obito, Rin and Minato later that day.

First though, there was someone that the Copy Ninja had to see.

The man quickened his pace to the Mission Room, eager to hand in his report and get it over and done with. As he stepped into the Mission Room, he blinked once at the sight of a group of familiar faces huddled together by the desk, speaking in hushed tones. They didn't seem to notice his entry, which was unusual in itself since they were all ranked Chunin and above.

"Did you see how big Kagome-san's getting?" Izumo asked with a smile.

Kakashi's curiosity was peaked the moment they mentioned the name of his blue-eyed friend. He paid more attention to their conversation. What did Izumo mean when he said that Kagome was getting big? Was she getting fat or something?

"Yeah," Raidou agreed, a small smile on his lips. "Makes me wonder if she's carrying twins."

Kakashi's train of thought promptly veers of the tracks, crashes into a ravine and explodes into fiery chunks. What. The. Hell. Did Raidou just say what Kakashi thought he just said? Kagome could be carrying twins? Was she pregnant? When?! What?! How?! Who?!

"Hey Iruka, you're pretty good friends with her. Did she tell you who's the father?" Kotetsu asked.

Iruka shook his head. "No, sorry Kotetsu. She never brought it up and I didn't want to pry," he replied with a frown.

"All right, all right. Enough now," Raidou said with a shake of his head. He straightened up. "Let's get back to work guys. What would Tsunade-sama think of us if she sees us all gossiping here like nosy old women—" The man froze, seeing Kakashi at the doorway.

The other Ninja turned to look as well, now able to sense the dangerous aura that the scarecrow was radiating. There was a dangerous glint in the man's eye, which let them know that someone was going to die. Painfully.

"A-ah, Kakashi. Welcome back," Raidou said awkwardly.

The Copy Ninja creased his eye in into an expression that was all too fake. Someone in the group let out an audible gulp.

"Raidou," he greeted. "Tell me, what was it you were all discussing about Kagome just now that was _so_ interesting you didn't even notice my presence." By the tone of voice, the men could tell it wasn't a request.

The Ninja looked uncomfortably at each other, all unwilling to step up on the proverbial chopping block.

Finally, Iruka jabbed Izumo sharply in the ribs while Kotetsu pushed him forward a bit. The Chunin turned around to send a glare at his traitorous comrades before facing Kakashi with a nervous smile.

"Well, err, Kakashi. You probably haven't heard this because you were out of the village by the time everyone found out but…." Izumo said the next part out in a rush when he noticed Kakashi's bored glare. "Kagome-san's pregnant. I'd say she's about…. 8, no 9 months along now?"

"She only just passed her 8th month Izumo," Iruka piped in helpfully.

"And who's the father?" Kakashi asked. His tone was calm as can be, but everyone could sense the killer intent practically rolling off of him in waves.

Izumo let out a wince. "Well… Err… You see… That's the thing. We didn't even know that Kagome-san was dating someone until she got pregnant. No one knows who the father is and some of us have tried asking her about it but her mouth's sealed on the matter." The killer intent only got stronger. "B-but! There've been rumours going around about who's the dad. Some say it's Genma because Kagome's been avoiding him lately. Other's say it's Sasuke 'cause the two of them have been spending a lot of time together. He also behaves very… _differently _around her. But yeah, it's only speculation at this point."

"Genma and Sasuke, huh?" Kakashi mumbled to himself before walking up to Izumo. The Chunin was pale and shaking but remained rooted to the spot. Kakashi grabbed his hand and Izumo blinked in surprise when a mission report was placed into it.

"Here's my report, and thanks for the information," Kakashi drawled before strolling out of the mission room, hand held up in goodbye. The dangerous aura followed him as he left. All the remaining Ninja in the room let out the breath they hadn't realised they were holding since they discovered Kakashi in the room with them. In unison, they felt a wave of pity flash over them for Genma and Sasuke.

The Copy Ninja was out for blood and he had set them as their targets. Those poor unfortunate souls…

* * *

><p>Shiranui Genma was a notorious ladies man in Konoha, known for his casual and calm charm as well as his teasing personality.<p>

Women practically threw themselves at his feet whether he wanted them to or not. But most of the time he wanted them to. It was nice having a fling or a one-night stand once in a while, in his (proud) opinion. Because of his popularity with the females of Konoha, it was safe to say that over the years Genma had seen his fair share of all the different types of women. From the shy to the seductive, the kind to the manipulative. He had seen all these different women, yet none managed to catch his eye or make a lasting impression.

It was the reason why he was still single despite being 38 now.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Two women had managed to catch his interest these past few years. They were already friends now, and if he chose to pursue them seriously the Tokubetsu Jounin believed he could actually fall in love with them. Not at the same time or anything! If Genma were actually with someone, he would be loyal to her. But not many people knew that. It came with the reputation of being a ladies man.

But the deal with those two women…

One of them, Genma was hesitant about starting a relationship with. It wasn't for a lack of interest on her part or anything. They both fancied each other and had even gone on a few dates already.

It was just that… She was sort of like the niece of the current Hokage.

Genma didn't want to incur the wrath of the Slug Princess if things ever went sour with him and Shizune. Plus there was his reputation… Tsunade-sama would no doubt beat him to death if he ever dared to ask for her blessing with Shizune.

As for the other woman…

Higurashi Kagome was different from most of the girls Genma had met. He could see it. Despite being one hell of a sexy lady, Kagome was never arrogant about it. She was actually quite a humble person, nice to everyone and anyone. She was classy and composed most of the time, but if you pissed her off or hurt someone she cared about there would be hell to pay, as some enemy Ninja had the _fortune_ of learning during the War.

Genma had tried courting her before, but she always turned him down. After the first few rejections, it wasn't hard to understand why. The Tokubetsu Jounin could see that Kagome was in love with someone else.

He didn't know who the man was, but he felt damn envious of the lucky bastard.

He was also pretty pissed off since it was obvious that Kagome wasn't together with the guy. Genma couldn't figure out who the guy was, but he believed that person had to have been freaking stupid and blind not to be with a woman of Kagome's calibre.

Then came the news of Kagome being pregnant. At first, Genma had been pretty sceptical until he saw Kagome for himself.

There was no doubt she was pregnant, but the father…. Genma guessed it was probably the man that Kagome loved. Call it an intuition of sorts, something that Genma had developed from his long and rich history with women. He could actually be really perceptive about them if he wanted to.

Still, the identity of the father kept on nagging in the back of Genma's brain. It was driving him mad.

He already couldn't figure out the man's identity when Kagome had been baby-free. Now that she was… How could he still not know? Maybe if he spent more time with Kagome he would slowly be able to piece together who the guy was. Maybe Kagome knew he had a possibility of figuring out the truth too. It could explain why she had been avoiding him recently.

Genma scowled and threw back his shot.

Kagome hadn't spoken to him for the past few months. Every time he tried to see her and talk to her, she would conveniently 'disappear'. It stung him whenever she did and he really missed her damn it. Not as a potential romantic interest but as a friend. After she had turned him down, they became friends instead. Good friends. Genma missed talking to her and he was getting pretty darn cranky due to her absence in his life.

There was even a rumour going around Konoha now that _he _was the father of her child because of said avoidance.

The man closed his eyes and sighed. Ridiculous. They were just friends. Forget about sleeping with her, Genma hadn't so much as kissed her yet. So why the hell did people think the child could be his?

Damn gossipers…

Genma snapped out of his reflections when he sensed a familiar chakra signature behind him, full of killer intent. He whipped around, hand automatically going to his weapons pouch for a Kunai but before he realised it, he'd been grabbed by the collar and slammed face-first against the bar counter. The Tokubetsu Jounin let out a wince of pain and struggled to get free.

"What the hell are you doing Kakashi?" he asked angrily.

The Copy Ninja merely looked down at him with a deadly calm in his eye and Genma swallowed quickly. After three decades of knowing the guy, he could tell that the man restraining him was about a hair's breadth away from committing murder. Extremely bloody and painful murder. But why was the man angry with _him_? Genma couldn't recall doing anything to piss him off, and besides, he hadn't seen the man for half a year until today.

"I've heard something very interesting about you Genma and I couldn't help wondering if it's true. Are you really the father of Kagome's child?" he asked smoothly, and Genma let out a frustrated groan.

"Seriously? You too Kakashi?" His tone was sceptical. "How many times do I have to tell everyone? I'm innocent! Kagome and I are just friends! I've never dated her, never kissed her and never slept with her! So no, I'm not the damn baby's father!"

Kakashi only watched his outburst with a raised brow.

"I swear." Genma insisted. "If I'm dating anyone now, it'd be Shizune."

Slowly, the Copy Ninja released his hold on the man. Genma shrugged his shoulders, making sure he hadn't sprained anything. Then he straightened his clothes, particularly his bandana and jacket. He was lucky he hadn't been chewing on his signature senbon when Kakashi attacked. Otherwise he'd probably have died via senbon to the throat the moment he got slammed onto the counter.

"Shizune, huh?" Kakashi mused. "That's a dangerous game you're playing there, Genma. You know that right?"

The man rolled his eyes. "You really have to ask?"

The scarecrow shrugged lazily. "I'm just saying, it's not my head on the proverbial chopping block once Tsunade-sama finds out you, oh esteemed womaniser of Konoha, are dating her precious lover's niece."

"Yeah, well. That's only if you decide to be an asshole about it and tell her. Me and Shizune have only gone for a few dates. Nothing so serious yet."

"I'll keep my silence," Kakashi assured. "But if it's a choice between keeping your secret or Tsunade-sama's fists, forgive me if I'll take the option where I don't get beaten to within an inch of my life," he replied dryly. He still remembered Jiraiya's horror stories about that happening when the Toad Sage had peeked on the woman in the baths once.

Genma let out a sigh. "It's better than nothing."

Kakashi let out a thoughtful hum. "Since I'm keeping your secret for you, I'll trust you not to lie to me about Kagome. Do you have any idea who will know who her baby's father is?" he asked.

The Tokubetsu Jounin took a moment to think.

"If anyone's figured it out, I bet it'll be Nara Shikamaru. That guy's too smart for his own good," he offered.

"Right. Thanks," Kakashi said with a nod and headed out towards the door. Genma watched the Copy Ninja leave before turning back to the counter and ordering another shot of whiskey. He really needed to get shit-faced drunk and forget about all of his troubles right now.

* * *

><p>Kakashi stood outside of Shikamaru's backyard, waiting for the man to appear. He didn't see the need to ring the doorbell. The wards around the property had probably already alerted the man to his presence. The Shoji screen of a room slid open, and Temari stepped into view.<p>

She blinked, taking in his company. "Ah, Kakashi-san. Welcome back."

Temari had been married to Shikamaru for over a year now. They'd started dating soon after the War and despite their busy schedules and long distance relationship, had managed to make it work.

The only true obstacle in their relationship had been trying to convince Gaara to accept Shikamaru as a brother-in-law, trying to get Shikamaru's clan to approve of his marriage to the Sand Ninja and deciding where the two would live after their marriage. After weeks of argument and debate, a compromise had been reached. Shikamaru and Temari had to spend a total of 6 months each living in their respective villages.

So for every 3 months thereabouts, Temari and Shikamaru would travel between their villages. It wasn't the perfect solution by any means, but at least they were both able to complete the duties expected of them.

Kakashi creased his eye in a greeting. "Is Shikamaru in?"

Temari nodded. "Yes. The Hokage has tasked him with coming up for the plans for the new Chunin and Jounin exams. Come on in and take a seat. I'll go and get him for you," she told him, pulling the screen door open wider. Kakashi toed off his sandals and stepped up onto the raised platform.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he muttered politely, stepping into the room.

He assumed a _seiza_ position on the _tatami_ while Temari disappeared down the hallway in search of her husband. Soon, a dual set of footsteps could be heard padding down the corridor and the man appeared. He took a seat opposite the Copy Ninja while Temari made to leave.

"Oh, no need for tea," Kakashi told her. "I won't be staying long."

Temari nodded and went to sit beside her husband.

"So, what can I do for you Kakashi-san?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well, I was hoping you could help me get to the bottom of some… troubling rumours in Konoha," the scarecrow replied with a casual shrug.

Shikamaru raised his brow. As a genius, it took him less than a second to understand what Kakashi was talking about. "First thing's first. I had nothing to do with Kagome-san's pregnancy."

"I didn't say you did," Kakashi replied, believing every word of it. Shikamaru was too lazy a person to have an affair. He also wasn't stupid enough to cheat on Temari of all people. He had two overprotective brother-in-laws who would gut him if he did. "I'm just asking what you can tell me about it."

"Well, Kagome only revealed her pregnancy some months after you and Naruto left the village. By then she was too big to hide it anymore. No one knows when she got pregnant, or who the father is. She's kept her silence on the subject every time someone asks," he explained.

Temari let out a frown. "I feel bad for Kagome-san. No father has come forth to acknowledge the baby so she has to raise the child alone. And the kinds of things people are saying about her. It really makes my blood boil…" Kakashi could only imagine what those things were. He felt a spark of anger ignite in his blood at the thought of people judging Kagome, looking down on her just because she decided not to take her child's life.

He pushed the anger away. Now wasn't the time for it.

"Then have you figured out who the father is Shikamaru?" If Kakashi ever found him, he would skin the guy alive.

Shikamaru flashed him a measured look. "I have," he answered in a slow, considering tone and Kakashi briefly wondered why Shikamaru was staring at him like he was a puzzle to be figured out.

"Who is it?" There was a hint of an edge to the question. _Tell me who so I can eviscerate him where he stands. _

The genius shook his head and sighed. "Sorry Kakashi-san, it's not my place to tell. This is something you'll have to figure out on your own."

Kakashi bit down on the urge to growl the next part out. "Is it Sasuke then?" Izumo _had _mentioned that his former student was one of the prime suspects. Kakashi didn't want to believe it then, so he didn't pursue the lead. But now…

Shikamaru shrugged. He wasn't going to give the game away.

"Saa, who knows? All I can say is that he acts like a pining puppy around her." Let Kakashi interpret his words however he wanted…

Temari gave her husband _a look. _"It's only a rumour though, Kakashi-san, so you shouldn't put much stock into it. Sasuke-san is also married to Sakura-san, and I don't think he's the type who would cheat on her."

Kakashi nodded once before creasing his eye. "Thank you both for your help. I guess I'll be seeing the two of you some other time then."

All three stood up and bowed politely to each other. Kakashi went out into the corridor again and sat down at the edge, pulling on his sandals. Then he stood and strolled off in the direction of Sasuke's house, where he hoped he would finally be able to find out the truth. If Sasuke really _were _the father of Kagome's child, well then… he would make sure there would be hell to pay. Not only for breaking Sakura's heart and making a fool out of her, but also for dragging Kagome's reputation through the mud like that and making her suffer the scorn of the village.

It took a lot to get him worked up. But this time, his boiling point was as low as it's ever been. The Copy Ninja Kakashi, the man who had copied over one thousand techniques was about to go on a rampage.

* * *

><p>Sakura stood uncertainly outside of Kagome's apartment.<p>

Her finger hovered over the edge of the doorbell and she didn't know if she could move it that extra inch. The nerve that she had summoned up at Hinata's house was failing her. Truthfully, she was dreading her conversation with Kagome. There was a great possibility that really was cheating on her, that he would leave _her _instead of Kagome since she was pregnant with his child.

Hinata stood patiently beside the pink haired medic in silence. This was something Sakura had to do for herself. The Hyuuga heiress was only there for support.

After a few more moments, Sakura swallowed thickly and pushed her finger against the doorbell. A ring sounded and soon there was slow shuffling coming from inside the apartment. The door opened and Kagome blinked once at the sight of them, before smiling warmly.

"Sakura! I didn't expect to see you so soon. And Hinata-chan, what a pleasant surprise," she said softly, and stepped aside. "Come on in."

The two Kunoichi headed into the house (both mumbling, "Sorry for the intrusion." They had manners, after all) and headed towards the living room. They took a seat on the couch while Kagome went into the kitchen to make some tea.

Sitting beside Sakura, Hinata couldn't help but feel that something was going to go horribly wrong, very soon.

(It turns out later, she was right.)

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. Here's the new chapter. :)<p>

Kakashi finally appears. Hooray! The guy's listed as a main character, but it takes him 7 damn chapters to appear? Itachi's a main character too, but he won't show until Chapter 9? *slaps self* What are you doing, author-san? -_-

So in this chapter, I cleaned up a lot of the dialogue, sentence structure and descriptions. I redefined Genma's relationship with Kagome. They're just good friends, he's completely interested in Shizune and he's not the type to hit on a woman who's interested in someone else.

I also made Shikamaru know who the father is, because in retrospect, the guy's a freakin' genius. _Of course_ he would have figured it out. But it doesn't mean he has to tell Kakashi about it. Where would the fun be in that?

Things are finally going to hell in the next chapter. :P

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	8. Chapter 7

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

.

Sakura and Hinata sat silently on the couch of Kagome's living room, slowly taking in the sight. There were unopened boxes of baby furniture strewn in one corner of the room, a heap of baby clothes dumped on the dining room table, a pile of books on pregnancy, babies and parenting stacked up beside the couch and the components of a self-assembled hanging mobile on the floor in front of the coffee table.

"Sorry for the mess," Kagome called out sheepishly from the kitchen. "If I knew I had company I would have tidied up a bit."

"O-Oh no, Kagome-san!" Hinata insisted strongly, "It's us who should apologise for dropping by unannounced like this!"

Kagome let out a small laugh. "It's fine. I don't mind."

The sounds of tea preparation carried on from the kitchen and Hinata snuck a glance at her friend. Sakura was staring down at her lap in silence, wringing her hands uncertainly. She looked nervous, as if she were ready to bolt out of the door. Well, not if Hinata had anything to say about it. Until Sakura got herself ready, it was up to the Hyuuga heiress to fill up the hush.

"How's the baby, Kagome-san?" Hinata called out, asking the first thing that came to mind. She felt Sakura freeze next to her, and Hinata could have slapped herself for her thoughtlessness. Maybe, considering the circumstances, that hadn't been the best question.

"Healthy as a horse," Kagome replied cheerfully. "According to Kanzaki-san, everything is progressing normally."

"That's good…" Hinata couldn't just leave it hanging like that. "Then… have you decided on a name yet?"

"I have. But I don't want to spoil it for you just yet." Hinata could hear the grin in Kagome's tone.

"Ah, of course. I understand."

There were a few more clanking noises before Kagome finally stepped out of the kitchen, balancing a tray with three cups of hot tea and a teapot. Hinata immediately stood up to try and help her, but Kagome waved her off.

"No, I got it. This is my house and you're a guest. I should be serving you."

Hinata bit her lip. "But…"

Kagome smiled kindly. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid. I can still do normal things. I just have to take it slow but I'm fine Hinata-chan."

The Hyuuga heiress reluctantly took her seat again. Kagome kneeled in front of the coffee table and placed the cups and teapot on it, one by one. Then she tucked the tray under her arm and went back into the kitchen, returning quickly. She moved towards the loveseat situated near the couch and sat down slowly, her hand held over her stomach.

"Is something wrong Kagome-san?" Hinata couldn't help but ask worriedly.

Kagome shook her head with a smile. There was a hint of pain to that smile, but it was overshadowed by the love and pride. "No. I'm fine. The kicking is quite a lot today, but I can't say I'm complaining. A lot of kicking is better than no kicking. If there isn't any movement, it means something is wrong."

"Ah, I see…"

"Sakura…" Kagome called, startling the pink haired medic out of her daze. "I've been meaning to ask… Has Sasuke cleared things up with you yet?"

The woman swallowed. Cleared things up? "He has," she said with a weak smile. If you counted Sasuke giving her really elusive answers with no solid explanations, accusing her of being the reason why he started an affair and implying for a divorce so he could marry someone else.

Sure, her husband had cleared things up _very _nicely.

"I'm glad then." Kagome's smile turned relieved, and Sakura felt her heart turn to ice. "I've been trying to get him to tell you about the rumours for a while now so there wouldn't be any trouble, but you know how stubborn he can be. He kept on telling me that he didn't want to bother you with it."

Sakura stopped breathing. _Did Kagome just say…? _

"But I'm sorry that you had to find out the way you did," Kagome continued on, her hand now smoothing over her bulging stomach. "No one should have to hear people talking about their husband like that. Sometimes the way people gossip here just make me so angry…"

Sakura's hand started to tremble ever so slightly.

"Has he told you who the father is?" Kagome asked, closing her eyes. She looked a bit paler now, as if she was trying to ignore pain and Hinata couldn't help but let out a small frown of concern.

"Kagome-san…" she began worriedly.

"I'm fine Hinata-chan," the woman replied softly, letting out a slow breath. "Thank you for your concern though… Sakura, has Sasuke told you who the father is?"

"Yes," Sakura replied monotonously. _Calm down Haruno, _she told herself. _Calm down calm down calm down…_

"Oh. Then please don't be angry with Sasuke for keeping it from you. I'm the one that asked him not to tell anyone. I'm also sorry for not telling you before, back in your office all those months ago. I didn't want to put you in an awkward situation with me and him," Kagome explained. "I mean, you've known him for years and I didn't want you to think you would have to take a side—"

Kagome was cut off when Sakura slammed her fist on the coffee table, hard enough to cause a dent in the metal.

"S-Sakura?" she stuttered out. "What's wrong?"

The pink haired medic stood up and Hinata could see the anger in her teary eyes. She was shaking all over, like a bomb ready to explode. This wasn't good. With Sakura's temper and Kagome's vulnerable state, this definitely wasn't good.

"Sakura…" Hinata began.

Sakura sent a quick look to the Hyuuga heiress. "You stay out of this Hinata," she said, before turning back to Kagome, who was staring at her with wide blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sakura spat, glaring daggers at the woman. "What's wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong Higurashi Kagome! You seduced my husband, slept with him and got pregnant! Then you lied to me about him and continued seeing him behind my back all these months! Tell me, was it amusing for you and Sasuke to make a fool of me like this? I bet you were both laughing at me for being so stupid!"

"Sakura? What _exactly_ did Sasuke tell you?" Kagome asked with disbelief. How the hell did her Uchiha friend manage to distort the truth to _this_?

"Don't play stupid!" Sakura snapped, moving to stand in front of the woman. "You know what he told me!"

"But I don't," Kagome replied, standing up. "Because it isn't true. I'm not having an affair with Sasuke. I've never slept with Sasuke." Her voice was calm. Even. It wouldn't do for her to lose her cool or panic.

No, it wasn't good for her pregnancy. She had to keep calm. Be logical and make Sakura see things her way.

"Don't you lie to me!" the pink haired woman said with a snarl. "Sasuke… He said I was the reason why he started an affair and he even asked me for a divorce, so don't you dare tell me you haven't slept with him!"

Kagome _really_ wanted to hit Sasuke over the head with a heavy blunt object right about now.

"Sakura, listen to me… It's all just a misunderstanding. I am not having an affair with Sasuke. I have _never_ slept with Sasuke. Sasuke isn't the father." Kagome said these words slowly, trying to penetrate through the fog of Sakura's rage. "The real father of my child is—"

"Stop lying to me!" Sakura finally yelled, and grabbed Kagome's shoulders, squeezing it tightly.

Kagome's eyes flashed briefly in pain. "Sakura. Please let go."

"No! Not until you answer me! Why? Why would you and Sasuke do this to me? How could you both do this to me? How could you seduce my husband I thought you were my friend! Tell me!" She asked furiously, shaking Kagome for emphasis. The blue-eyed woman opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she looked at Sakura with fear. Sakura was too caught up in her anger. She couldn't be reasoned to.

"S-Sakura! Please calm down!" Hinata begged, making her way over to the two women. Sakura ignored her. Instead, the pink haired medic continued yelling at Kagome to tell her the truth.

Hinata stared at the scene, wondering if she should intervene and forcefully separate the two of them.

Sakura's mental state was really delicate right now and it looked like she was even bordering on hysteria. Kagome on the other hand had gone terribly pale and it looked like she was going to throw up.

"Sakura please!" Hinata said. "Kagome-san doesn't look well! Please stop!"

Finally, Hinata's voice seemed to pierce through Sakura's rage. The woman stopped shaking Kagome and pulled back as if stung. She lifted her hands to stare at them with wide eyes, and then stared at Kagome. Sakura hadn't realised she had been doing that. How could she have handled a pregnant woman like that? How could she call herself a doctor?

She was interrupted in her thoughts when Kagome let out a small gasp of pain. Her hands flew over to her pregnant stomach and she sank to her knees. Her body started trembling and she moaned softly from the throbbing in her lower regions.

Sakura could only watch in shock but Hinata immediately kneeled by the woman's side. "Kagome-san! What's wrong?!"

"I don't know…" Kagome hissed out, closing her eyes. "But the pain is _really_ bad now…"

"We need to get you to a hospital Kagome-san. And quick," Hinata decided. "Can you stand?"

"I'll need some help."

"Of course." Hinata wrapped her hand under Kagome's left shoulder and helped her stand up.

"Wait!" Kagome called out, her eyes wide. There was something warm running down between her legs. She looked down and felt a brief surge of anxiety at the sight of the clear liquid. She had triggered an early labour. Kagome tried to calm herself down (_"Stress isn't good for the baby." She could hear Sasuke's familiar voice saying.) _but her efforts were naught when she saw something else trickling down in thick rivulets, mixing in with the amniotic fluid. Something red.

_Blood._

"_No." _Kagome breathed. No, no, no, no… (_In the back of her mind, she could suddenly remember a wide open clearing, a pale blonde man dead on the ground and a dying woman with long red hair, pale skin, tired violet eyes and a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. "Kagome-chan, promise me you'll take care of Naruto for me…") _

"**No**." Her voice was pure steel. It wouldn't happen to them. Kagome would _never_ let it happen to them!

"Sakura, we need to get Kagome-san to the hospital right now!" Hinata said loudly, her pale eyes staring at the blood dripping on the floor. The pink haired woman ignored her. Instead, there was a dawning expression of horror on her face as she looked at Kagome.

She had done that? She had made Kagome go into early labour? She had caused the blood? Oh lord what had she done? What the hell had she done!? What if Kagome lost the baby?! What if Kagome died giving birth to the baby?! Sasuke would never forgive her! Sakura would never forgive herself! As a Kunoichi who fought in a War, she had killed people before. But never pregnant women and unborn children!

"Sakura!" Hinata yelled again, snapping the woman out of her panic. "Help me get Kagome-san to the hospital _now._"

Sakura nodded shakily. "R-right."

She moved over to the two women and slung Kagome's free arm over her shoulder. Then the two women picked up Kagome's legs so she wouldn't have to walk and made their way over to the window. The blue-eyed woman was still letting out small gasps of pain and without another word, the two Kunoichi jumped out, heading for the direction of the Konoha Hospital.

* * *

><p>While all that drama was happening in Kagome's apartment, in the Uchiha's apartment however the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Sasuke and Naruto were in the living room, with the former helping the latter to wrap the bandages around his naked chest.<p>

Because of that kick he gave Naruto earlier, the Uchiha had managed to break several of the blonde's ribs. Not crack. _Break_.

But other than the broken ribs and a cracked jaw, Naruto was completely fine and Sasuke knew that in the next hour or so the future Hokage's injuries would have already healed thanks to Kurama's influence.

Sometimes, Sasuke really envied Naruto's quick healing.

The Uchiha had several finger-shaped bruises around his neck that had turned into an ugly shade of purple, and his lower regions were _still _hurting from Sakura's chakra infused kick. He faintly wondered if it was a sign that he'd been rendered permanently infertile.

"Oi, Sasuke. Make it tighter why don't you?" Naruto complained and let out a loud yell of pain when Sasuke did as instructed.

"Owwwww! Give a man some warning before you do that you bastard!" he bellowed right into his friend's ear. Thankfully, over the years Sasuke had grown used to Naruto's loud exclamations so his hearing was no worse for wear.

"You're the one who wanted me to bind it tighter," Sasuke replied with a dull stare. "So quit your whining usuratonkachi or else bandage your own damn ribs."

Naruto growled back, glaring into his friend's dark eyes. It looked like yet another scuffle was going to break out between them but they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sasuke went to answer it while Naruto took over bandaging himself, and faint mutterings could be heard from the blonde about how 'the teme never changed' and that 'he always seemed like he had a Kunai shoved up the ass.'

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke opened the door and was met with the lazy stare of his sensei.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted in his usual way. To acquaintances and strangers, it seemed like the Copy Ninja was behaving normally. But to friends and ex-students like Naruto and Sasuke who'd known the man for years, he seemed a little… unsettled. There was a minute tenseness to his normally slouched posture and _something_ in his visible eye that made the Uchiha's skin crawl in anticipation.

Sasuke's finely honed instincts warned him to stay vigilant.

"Kakashi," the Uchiha replied politely while Naruto yelled out happily, "Kakashi-sensei!" as if he had never seen the Copy Ninja for a few years when in actuality the last time they had spoken was only a few hours ago. (Sasuke had never really referred to Kakashi as his sensei ever since he left Konoha, but to Naruto and Sakura the man would always be their 'Kakashi-sensei'.)

The man raised his brow when he noticed the injuries on his former students.

"So soon?" he asked wryly. It was obvious the two had gotten into a fight again. Sasuke and Naruto had stopped trying to kill each other years ago but they still fought with each other pretty often. It seemed like they were always capable of pushing each other's buttons.

Sasuke shrugged. "He started it... Can I help you Kakashi?"

"Let me come in first. Then we'll talk," the man replied.

Sasuke stepped aside and let the man pass before closing the door. Then he headed to the living room with Kakashi following at his heels. Naruto was sitting on the couch, finished with bandaging his ribs. The Uchiha made himself comfortable against the wall and crossed his arms while Kakashi remained standing in the middle of the room.

"You're inside now. So talk," Sasuke said bluntly.

"I was handing in my mission report when I heard a very interesting rumour," Kakashi began, noticing a faint twitch in the Uchiha's expression. _Interesting._

_If that rumour happens to be about me and Kagome, I will seriously kill myself here and now, _Sasuke thought irritably. _Surely my luck can't be shitty enough to have _all_ three people from my old Genin team asking me about that in just one day?_

"About Kagome being pregnant and you being the father of her child?" Kakashi finished.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Yes, my luck really is that shitty. Fucking hell._

"I never thought you were the type of person who would believe in idle gossip Kakashi," he replied calmly. "What is this world coming to? Instead of asking me about it, why don't you just pay Kagome a visit yourself?"

"Maa, you know how scary she can be when she's angry," Kakashi creased his eye and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Beside him, Naruto let out a little shiver as he recalled one of Kagome's rages. She'd been scarier than even Sakura. "I don't want to risk pissing her off _now_ when she's pregnant and full of hormones. Since this rumour also concerns you Sasuke, I thought you might be the safer choice. So, is it true then? Are you the father of Kagome's child?"

"No."

"Oh?" Kakashi hummed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Sasuke bit out.

"Then why have you been spending so much time with her? You've been stuck by her side all these months like a devoted puppy," the Copy Ninja said, ignoring the other man's low growl at the statement. "And apparently you act very different around her. Explain it to me Sasuke, because I'm not sure how I can trust your words."

The expression in his visible eye promised no mercy if Sasuke were to lie about his answer.

"Kagome was pregnant and alone. She had no one close to her she could turn to and the damn father wasn't around so I watched out for her," Sasuke said with cold, narrowed eyes. If gazes had the power to kill, the scarecrow would have been dead many, many times over. "And I act differently around her because I've known her since I was born you inept excuse of a Ninja."

Kakashi let the insult breeze past him. "Is that all?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw. Now, he was normally a very patient man. But with _three_ people in the same day all accusing him of having an affair with his pregnant friend whom he saw as an older sister and thus would _never sleep with_, even God himself would have had his patience worn thin.

"Yes, that is all Kakashi." Then he was silent, considering his next action carefully.

Near the beginning of her pregnancy, he had given Kagome his word that he would never reveal who the father was. But now, the Uchiha was seriously thinking about it. Was telling Kakashi worth breaking his word?

Maybe if he gave a vague answer about it. Then it wouldn't count right?

"But, if you really want to know, I suggest _you_ retrace your steps and think back on who Kagome was hanging around with and how she was behaving during the month she got pregnant," he said. There. That was ambiguous enough.

Kakashi was smart. He would be able to figure it out.

The man frowned, thinking deep and hard about Sasuke's words. A few minutes of silence passed before he looked at the Uchiha, his expression still puzzled. "Sasuke, instead of giving me a vague answer tell me exactly _who _is the father of Kagome's child?"

Sasuke took it back. The man was an idiot.

The Uchiha remained silent as he looked at the Copy Ninja. He had _promised_. Was a broken promise worth telling him? Especially with knowing how things had played out between Kagome and the father? Was it worth meddling in the lives of his friends? That if he told Kakashi, he was essentially making or breaking the fate of two people? Was it worth it?

In an instant, Sasuke decided that _Yes. It was. _

He could see the potential relationship that Kagome could have with the father of her child. The part of Sasuke that _loved _her, loved both of them actually, really wanted them to find that happiness with each other.

"Fine," Sasuke said softly, looking Kakashi in the eye. "I'll tell you."

Both the Copy Ninja and the hyperactive blonde on the couch (who had been eagerly watching their conversation with bated breath) came to attention. As Sasuke opened his mouth, the two found their eyes widening in shock at the four syllables that escaped it.

"_What?" _Naruto breathed in complete shock. Kakashi remained silent. "Oi teme, what you said can't be true. How can it be _him?"_

Sasuke shrugged. "Kagome's got really low standards," he snarked and Naruto barked out a laugh, half amused, half disbelieved. The Uchiha then turned his attention to Kakashi, who had frozen since his announcement. "Are you wishing you never found out old man?"

The man didn't reply.

Well, the news did turn his world upside down. Sasuke was mildly disappointed that he hadn't fainted from the shock though.

"Uchiha-san!" There was a sudden loud pounding on the front door. "Uchiha-san! Are you there?! Uchiha-san!"

Sasuke channelled chakra to his feet and in an instant was standing in front of his apartment door. He threw it open, blinking once in surprise at the non-Ninja messenger standing there.

"What happened?" he asked, a coldness developing in his gut. Something had happened with Kagome. He was sure of it.

"Higurashi-san was brought to the hospital fifteen minutes ago! Her water broke and she's in the early stages of labour! But there's a lot of unnatural bleeding too and Kanzaki-san fears it might be placental abruption! She's referred Higurashi-san to Tsunade-sama and you need to get to the hospital right now!"

Sasuke's eyes grew wide and he cursed. He had read about placental abruption. _Shit._

"Naruto! Kakashi!" he barked, turning around and making his way to them. Naruto had stood up from the couch and his blue eyes were serious. Kakashi had snapped out of his stupor as well. Sasuke nodded at them. Together the three Ninja disappeared in a swirl of wind, leaving the messenger behind.

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. I was feeling whimsical so here's the new chapter. :)<p>

So in this, it's a misunderstandings galore! Plus more evil foreshadowing! I also changed things a bit with Kagome. She does go into early labour again, but with something added. I was researching reasons why there would be bleeding during pregnancy, and placental abruption came up. I thought it was interesting, so I ended up using it.

It also raises the stakes for everyone around if Kagome's life is in jeopardy. Yes, I'm evil.

Kakashi's talk with Sasuke didn't really change much. I just cleaned up dialogue and sentence structure a bit. And _of_ _course_ I kept the four syllables thing. How could I not? It's one of my favourite things I have Sasuke say to Kakashi. XD

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	9. Chapter 8

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

.

On the way to the hospital, the messenger's words kept reverberating in Sasuke's mind.

"_There's a lot of unnatural bleeding too and Kanzaki-san fears it might be placental abruption."_

_"… Fears it might be placental abruption…"_

_"…Placental abruption…"_

During the long months Sasuke spent taking care of Kagome, he had read many, _many_ books on pregnancy and childbirth. He wanted to know what to expect from the pregnancy as well as what could go wrong. So it made sense that he knew all about placental abruption.

It was an uncommon but nevertheless serious complication of pregnancy. It only occurred in one in every 150 pregnancies and it often happened suddenly, usually in the later stages of pregnancy. No one really knew what triggered it, but it was the bleeding behind the placenta, between the placenta and the wall of the womb. It deprived the child of oxygen and nutrients and caused heavy bleeding in the mother. If untreated long enough, both mother and child would die.

Sasuke grit his teeth and quickened his pace. How could he let this happen? He should have insisted more in escorting Kagome home! Maybe if he did, he would have been able to notice this sooner!

If Kagome and her offspring died, Sasuke would _never_ be able to live with himself.

By the time the three Ninja finally reached the Konoha hospital, Sasuke had worked himself into a right state of panic. He strode over to the desk, grabbed the receptionist by her collar and brought her face only inches away from his.

"Higurashi Kagome," he snarled. "Where is she?!"

"I-I don't know!" she stuttered out, staring wide-eyed into Sasuke's activated Sharingan.

"_Check_." His voice promised death.

He let go of the receptionist and she hurriedly sorted through the papers on her desk, all the while shivering under the killer glare he was directing at her. Sasuke almost felt like grabbing her again and telling her to hurry when she pulled out a chart from the pile.

"Here!" she squeaked out, flipping through it. "It says that one Higurashi Kagome has been brought to Operating Theatre 3. It's on the third floor. Take the elevator in the main area up and turn left. Walk to the end and make a right. It's at the end of that corridor."

The three Ninja quickly left the counter and took to the stairs. (Being Ninja, they had no patience for the elevator.) As they neared their destination, Sasuke sensed two familiar chakra signatures and he felt the dread build in his heart.

"Oi, what's Hinata and Sakura-chan doing here?" Naruto piped up from beside him.

"That's what I'm going to find out," Sasuke replied darkly.

When they finally had the Operating Theatre door in sight, Sasuke could also see the two women standing in front of it. Hinata stood near the wall, constantly stealing glances at the closed doors. She was unconsciously twiddling her thumbs, a sure sign that she was anxious. Beside her, Sakura was pacing from one end to the other. Her complexion was pale and her arms crossed over her chest. She positively reeked of guilt.

Sasuke marched up to his wife, who startled at the sight of him. "Sakura, tell me what the hell happened _now._"

The woman had stopped her pacing. She looked him in the eye and struggled valiantly not to cry. "I-I didn't mean for this to happen. I-I just lost control of my temper when she said all those things and I started shaking her…" her voice trailed off and a few tears leaked out.

"If Kagome _dies_ because of _you_…" Sasuke said, his voice snarling, and Sakura flinched.

"_Sasuke_." Kakashi's voice was calm. "You need to calm down. Getting angry with Sakura won't change anything. Kagome is strong. She'll be all right."

The Uchiha let out another snarl and turned away from her. He clenched his fist and swung it sideways, hitting the wall with a loud bang and leaving a slight indent. He let his hand drop to his side and he closed his eyes, taking in deep, even, breaths. Once he had suitably calmed himself down, he opened his eyes again and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He tried to push the bloody images of a dead Kagome out of his mind.

It wouldn't happen. Kakashi was right. Kagome was strong. She would be fine. She _had _to be fine… But what if she wasn't?

Naruto had moved to Hinata and the woman took one look at the blonde before launching herself in his embrace. The normally hyperactive man was still and silent as his wife trembled in his arms.

Once she had calmed enough, Naruto asked softly, "What happened Hinata?"

The Hyuuga heiress took a breath and started telling them about the events that led her and Sakura up to that point. By the time she finished speaking, Naruto felt a wave of pity for Sakura after hearing the kind of day she had gone through. He was sure Kakashi and maybe even Sasuke felt the same. Then again, after seeing the angry look the Uchiha sent his wife, maybe not. Heartless bastard.

"How is Kagome now?" Kakashi asked, his voice serious.

"We brought her to Kanzaki-san but by then the bleeding had become quite serious. She ended up calling for Tsunade-sama and we were told to wait outside but so far, there's been no news," Hinata replied and Kakashi let out a tired sigh. He walked over to Sasuke, who had remained silent throughout Hinata's explanation, and leaned against the wall next to him. He slipped his hands into his pockets and spoke no more.

"Ano sa," Naruto began uncertainly, "Sakura-chan, just now that messenger guy said something about Kagome-chan having a placential abrupting?" His face scrunched up at the difficult word. "Do you know what it means?"

The woman looked stricken. "No, I don't. Sorry Naruto."

Sakura had specialised in combat healing and poisons. She hadn't bothered studying much about pregnancy before, because really, what kind of mission situations would involve knowing how to deliver babies? Now though, she couldn't help wishing more than ever that she had.

"Oh." Naruto couldn't hide the disappointment in his tone.

"_Placental abruption_ dobe," Sasuke spoke up softly, his voice monotonous. Everyone turned to stare at him in surprise. He ignored them and continued on. "It's a bleeding in the womb. It deprives the baby of oxygen and nutrients. It happens in late pregnancies and no one really knows what causes it. If it's serious enough, it can cause premature births and the baby can be born with growth problems. In worst cases both mother and child can die," he growled out.

"Well, Kagome-chan is strong," Naruto said. His voice was stubborn. "She won't die."

Sasuke glared at him. "Sometimes, being strong isn't enough. Or do I need to give you some bloody examples before the fact sinks in to that thick head of yours?"

Naruto glared back, but said nothing. No one in the corridor said anything after that.

* * *

><p>The tension could be cut with a knife.<p>

Naruto was standing beside his wife, his body twitching in anxiety and fear. It almost looked like _he _was the expecting father. Hinata was twiddling her thumbs, trying to ease her anxiety. Sakura kept pacing the corridor, chewing her lower lip in nervousness. Kakashi's face was like a blank slate. It was impossible to read the emotions on it. Only the tenseness of his posture betrayed his true feelings.

Sasuke kept glancing at the closed doors. His stomach was doing backflips, his palms were sweaty and his legs felt like jelly. How long had Kagome been in there? What was taking so long? Was she doing all right?

His worry was slowly driving him insane. He wanted to scream.

He didn't care if Tsunade was in there helping with the birth. The Godaime Hokage may have been a very good medic, but it didn't mean she was a god. She couldn't save everyone. People still died under her watch, her lover included.

Sasuke glanced at the doors again and cursed that they were soundproofed.

The silence was unnerving. It was killing him. The doors prevented him from hearing anything. There weren't any windows on the doors too so he couldn't even see what was happening in there. If Kagome was using a very colourful range of swear words to threaten the father's manhood and curse his name to the seven depths of hell, Sasuke wanted to hear it. Even if she was cursing _Sasuke's_ name for supporting her decision to remain pregnant, the Uchiha wanted to hear it.

He wanted to hear that she was okay, that she was doing all right.

A Kagome cursing up a storm from the pain was always a much better scenario than a Kagome who was pale and unconscious and possibly bleeding to death on the operating table.

If she died… Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed out deeply.

He didn't know what he would do. Maybe his guilt would finally make him take his own life. But wait. How could he ever face Itachi again in the afterlife? How could he tell his brother that it was because of his carelessness that led to the death of Kagome and her offspring?

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts when the doors finally opened.

Tsunade stepped out, her hair tied in her usual pigtails and a surgical mask pulled under her chin. A thin sheen on sweat covered her forehead on the look on her face was serious. The Uchiha felt his stomach drop as he straightened up from the wall and uncrossed his arms. He feared for the worst.

"How is Kagome-chan and the baby, baa-chan?" Naruto asked, his voice unsure.

Tsunade let out a tired sigh. "The bleeding was serious but fortunately, we've managed to stop it. We've also given Kagome several rounds of blood transfusions so she's doing fine now. She just needs a lot of rest. The birthing took a lot out of her."

The tension in the corridor seemed to dissipate and everyone let out the breaths that hadn't realized they'd been holding since Tsunade came out. Hinata leaned against her husband in comfort while he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Sakura closed her eyes and silently thanked the gods. Sasuke and Kakashi broke out into small, but real smiles.

"And the _babies_ are doing fine," Tsunade added cheekily.

Everyone in the room except for Sasuke and Tsunade blinked in shock. _What?_

"B-babies?" Naruto squawked, his voice high and screeching. "Kagome-chan's got more than _one baby_?"

"Yes. Hence the term 'babies.'" The woman smiled amusedly. "She has twins. A boy and a girl. They're a bit smaller from the premature birth, and will need to spend some time in the incubator, but other than that they're perfectly healthy."

Naruto whirled to Sasuke and pointed a finger at him. "Oi, teme! Did you know about the babies!?"

Sasuke snorted. "Obviously, dobe."

"Then why didn't you say anything before?!" Naruto eyed him with suspicion.

The Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly. "You never asked."

Naruto looked seconds away from pouncing on Sasuke again and starting another brawl. He would have too, if Tsunade had not hit him in the head with her (thankfully not chakra-infused) fist.

"No funny business! This is a hospital!" She barked.

Naruto grimaced, rubbing his head. "Sorry, baa-chan."

The doors of the room opened again, this time with two nurses wheeling out the babies.

Sakura found herself staring at them, enraptured.

"This is Itachi," Tsunade said, motioning to the baby that was currently awake. "He's the elder one."

Everyone in that corridor was aware of Kagome's history with Uchiha Itachi. With the exception of Sasuke and possibly Kakashi, they only knew the basics though. Kagome and Itachi had been childhood friends. Following the Uchiha Massacre, she had followed him out of Konoha and had spent the next eight years with him until his death. Then she'd gone and found Sasuke, convinced him not to destroy Konoha and had come back with him to help the Alliance in the Fourth Great Ninja War. After that, she and Sasuke had settled back down in Konoha and had sought to clear the elder Uchiha's name.

The Ninja all knew that Kagome and Itachi had had a very close relationship (Why else would Kagome have named her son after him?) but they weren't sure _what _kind of a relationship it was. Were they lovers, or just close friends?

Kagome had never ever spoken about her time with Itachi, and so they'd never asked.

As the five Ninja stared at the baby, there were a slew of reactions. Naruto looked positively amused at the thought of the baby having the same name as a former S-Class Criminal. Hinata had a slight bush on her cheeks. She was completely taken with the infant and looked like she wanted to have one of her own. Sasuke had a small, but _real_ smile on his face as he stared down at his older brother's namesake. Kakashi was wide-eyed and looked so lost, like he had no idea what to do and how to act around this miniature-sized human who looked up at him in curiosity. Finally, Sakura looked pained at the sight of the baby's appearance.

Itachi, like the man he was named for, had coal black eyes and a small tuft of dark hair on his head. He had inherited Kagome's nose and the shape of her eyes but still looked so much like a typical Uchiha with his fine bone structure and delicate features. Sakura glanced at her husband incredulously. Would he deny being the child's father again if she asked him right now?

If he did, she would smack him, hospital be damned. Genetics didn't lie.

"And this is Isuzu," Tsunade said softly, indicating to the other baby while the nurse took Itachi away.

Sakura both wanted and dreaded to see how Isuzu looked like. There was a high possibility that Isuzu would have her brother's colouring as well, and it would only be the final nail in the coffin that Sasuke was the father.

Isuzu, unlike Itachi, was fast asleep so the pink haired medic couldn't see what colour her eyes were.

"She has Kagome's eyes," Tsunade spoke up, seemingly able to read the forefront question on everyone's mind.

Isuzu was smaller in size than her brother. She had inherited Kagome's mouth, eyebrows, eyes and nose. Even at this young age, Sakura could tell that when Isuzu grew up, she would be as beautiful as her mother. There also appeared to be no traces of hair on Isuzu's head. But when the nurse wheeled Isuzu away, Sakura saw something glistening above the baby's head.

Her mouth slackened, and she felt her heart jump to her throat. She realized faintly that Isuzu _did _have hair after all. It was just hard to notice right away because the hair had been too little and the colour had been too light.

Isuzu's hair colour was _silver._

Sakura whipped her head to the right, staring at her ex-sensei is shock. _Kakashi-sensei? He was the father? But… What?!_

* * *

><p><em>"But, if you really want to know, I suggest you retrace your steps and think back on who Kagome was hanging around with and how she was behaving during the month she got pregnant," Sasuke said.<em>

_The man frowned, thinking deep and hard about Sasuke's words. A few minutes of silence passed before he looked at the Uchiha, his expression still puzzled. "Sasuke, instead of giving me a vague answer tell me exactly who is the father of Kagome's child?"_

_"Fine," Sasuke said softly, looking Kakashi in the eye. "I'll tell you."_

_Both the Copy Ninja and the hyperactive blonde on the couch (who had been eagerly watching their conversation with bated breath) came to attention. Sasuke spent a few moments thinking how to phrase his answer to the man. But finally he just settled on the most straightforward one._

_"It's you dumbass," he snapped._

* * *

><p>Kakashi watched in silence as the sleeping Isuzu was wheeled down the corridor to the birthing ward. His skin was clammy and probably pale under his mask and he felt like his heart was trying to explode out of his chest.<p>

When he, Naruto and Sasuke had been on their way to the hospital, Kakashi had only spared one brief moment to doubt the Uchiha's words. There was no way he could be the father. No way. After that, the man spent the rest of his time being worried about Kagome's life to think much about it. It was only when Tsunade had come out and announced that Kagome was doing fine that the man had started thinking about it again.

No, it was impossible. He wasn't the father.

Even after he had seen Itachi, he had still been deeply in denial because at first glance, the baby really resembled an Uchiha. A possible explanation would be that the black hair came from Kagome while the black eyes, fine features and narrow jawline came from Kakashi, but the Copy Ninja still refused to accept it.

No, Itachi didn't take after him at all. It was just a coincidence. Sasuke was the father, not him. It was either Sasuke or someone else with dark hair and dark eyes.

There was no way that Kakashi could be a father. Not after the kind of life he had led, the mistakes he had made.

Kakashi firmly refused to believe the fact that he had fathered children until the moment he saw Isuzu. His breath had caught in his throat and his very _world_ had been remade the moment he caught sight of his silver hair on her head.

Gods, she had really looked so much like her mother.

But again… _He_ was the mysterious father of Kagome's children. How did that happen?

Kakashi couldn't figure it out. He had been out of the village for six months and hadn't even known she was pregnant until he came back. How was he supposed to have fathered children if he didn't even remember it?

Iruka had said that Kagome had been eight months along. What was Kakashi doing at that particular period? He struggled to recall.

Eight months ago… That was the month when… Ah. His breath caught. Of course.

He remembered it now. It had been the anniversary of Rin's death. Kakashi had been drinking heavily in a bar, drowning in his grief. He'd eventually met a woman and they'd started drinking together. She'd told him that she had been drinking in someone's memory too. The woman's face had been blurred by the alcohol he'd already consumed but Kakashi had vaguely remembered running his fingers through her long, dark hair. He remembered thinking how much it felt like silk.

He'd taken her home after that and they'd had a few rounds of mindblowing sex before falling asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Kakashi had woken up alone in his apartment. The sheets beside him had long since gone cold. He'd had the worst hangover of his life and only hazy memories of the night before, and of the woman. Kakashi had always assumed that he'd slept with an unknown Kunoichi who'd purged her presence in his apartment so he wouldn't be able to track her down in the future.

But he'd been so wrong. It turned out the woman he had slept with back then was Kagome.

And the Copy Ninja now had two children. He was a father.

Shit. _He was a father. He had a son and a daughter now. _What was he supposed to feel? What was he supposed to do? Kakashi hadn't the faintest idea about what fatherhood entailed. He could barely remember his own father, now dead and gone for nearly 27 years. He didn't know anything about diaper changing or bottle-feeding. Kakashi was not father material. He was a Ninja, not a father…

Fuck. He was a Ninja, and a famous one at that.

Even with the current Ninja Alliance, he had made many, many enemies over the long course of his career. What would he do if his enemies ever found out about his children and came after them for revenge? If they died because of him, if Kagome died because of him… Kakashi couldn't even think about it…

The door of the operating theatre opened again, and this time Kagome was wheeled out. The Copy Ninja froze.

"Careful," Tsunade warned, "She's conscious now but under some heavy painkillers. Some of the things she says might not make sense."

Kagome was lying flat on her back in the gurney, no longer in that bloodstained dress. They'd changed her into a hospital gown and there was an IV tube taped to her wrist, filled with a clear sort of liquid that was most probably the painkillers Tsunade spoke of. Her eyes were barely open. She looked small, tired and pale.

"Kagome," Sasuke said soothingly, moving to her side. "Are you all right?"

"Sasuke." She brought her hand up to cup his cheek. Her thumb brushed tenderly across his eye.

"Hello Itachi," Kagome continued breathlessly, and the Ninja around her blinked. Why did Kagome call him Sasuke then Itachi? Were the painkillers making her confuse Sasuke for his brother? Now older, Sasuke bore a great resemblance to the man, but still… "Did you see little Itachi?"

Sasuke wasn't offended or hurt by Kagome's mistake. Instead his expression softened just a tad, and he nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Kagome smiled, and there was something inexplicably heartbreaking about that smile. "_Good._"

Her eyes then roamed drowsily around the corridor, taking in the faces of everyone gathered there. When her gaze landed on Kakashi, who was tense and staring at her with wide eyes, she paused.

"You. You're not supposed to be here," she mumbled. Exhausted and disoriented from the drugs, she didn't notice the man flinch.

"I can't tell you. I'm not supposed to tell you. You can't find out about them," she continued sleepily, much to everyone's confusion. Tsunade hadn't been kidding when she said that Kagome was under some heavy painkillers. "I don't want you to find out about them. You'll just break their hearts because you're too lost. You're lost and you don't want to find your way out again. I won't let you hurt them. I won't. I won't. I won't."

"Kagome," Kakashi said, finally finding his voice. "_I would never hurt them._" He sounded horrified at the very thought of it.

"You will. You've hurt me, so you'll hurt them too," she replied, and her eyes filled with tears. "You always end up hurting me…"

"I…" Kakashi didn't know what to say or what to do. He was always helpless against crying women.

"Shh Kagome," Sasuke finally whispered, putting the Copy Ninja out of his misery. He ran a gentle hand through her hair, making her focus her attention on him. "You and Kakashi can talk later when you're feeling better. But right now, you need to get some rest, okay?"

"But my children…"

"They're fine," he soothed. "You'll see them when you wake up. So sleep now. They're safe. You're safe. Sleep."

"Sleep?"

A nod. "Sleep."

"Okay." Her eyes fluttered shut, and in moments, she had slipped into slumber.

The other Ninja were silent for a moment as they digested Kagome's strange behaviour. They hadn't known what to say when she had been talking with Kakashi and Sasuke, and they hadn't understood the context of most of the things she'd said. Were they just nonsense? Or did they have a hidden meaning to them?

No one was able to figure it out. (Well, no one except Sasuke, that is.)

Tsunade cleared her throat and directed her gaze at the nurse, who nodded and wheeled Kagome away to a room on the same floor. The Slug Sannin followed after them down the corridor, needing to get back to the Hokage Tower for work.

Kakashi watched the gurney until it disappeared around the corner before turning to his former student.

"Sasuke…" he began hesitantly. The man was so terribly confused about everything. He had tons of questions but no real answers, but fortunately he knew the one person who would be able to help him find the answers. "I need you to explain what Kagome meant when she said all those things to me. I know she must have confided in you about that."

Sasuke looked at him, not denying his statement. His expression looked considering. He had already broken one promise. Would he break another?

"_Please_." There was so much emotion put in that one word.

The Uchiha finally nodded, sighing. He would. "All right."

"Thank you," Kakashi said sincerely, before hesitating. "And I think you need to tell Sakura about it too."

At the mention of his wife, Sasuke glanced at her. She was standing on her own near the wall, looking horribly guilty and confused with everything. She was absently chewing her lower lip in a way that Sasuke knew meant that she was affected by something deeply. Occasionally, her eyes would flicker from Kakashi to Sasuke. It didn't take a genius to work out what it was about.

Sasuke sighed softly. Kakashi was right. This was something Sakura had to know as well.

His wife didn't understand the kind of relationship he'd shared with Kagome. Sasuke knew that if he wanted his marriage to Sakura to last, he would have to tell her about it. That meant talking about the one thing that tied him and Kagome together.

_Itachi. _Sasuke's heart clenched.

He needed to tell Sakura about Kagome's relationship with Itachi, so that she could understand _why _Sasuke felt such an obligation to her. It would hurt him to dig up those scars again, and like Sasuke had said before, he hated showing weakness to anyone.

But this… He knew it was important to both of them. And so he would do it.

As for Kakashi… The man wanted to know the meaning behind Kagome's words to him. Unfortunately, the answer wasn't simple. It was a long and complicated one, developed over the span of two decades. The man would have to think back on his history with Kagome as well as know what she did when she wasn't with him to understand where she was coming from. It would take a lot of time to explain it out to both of them, and even then it wasn't good enough.

Some things were better understood by _seeing_, not _hearing_.

Fortunately for him, Sasuke had a way to show them. He would use his Mangekyou technique, Tsukuyomi. It was a quick and efficient solution. Although it required a large amount of chakra to use, it wouldn't make much of a dent in his reserves. He would be able to show them _years_ of events in just a few seconds in the real world.

"If you want your answers you'll have to look in my eyes," Sasuke told the Copy Ninja, who nodded solemnly in reply.

The Uchiha turned to his wife. "Sakura," he called. The woman startled and her eyes snapped to her husband when she felt him emit a massive flare of chakra. As both Kakashi and Sakura met his gaze, they found themselves staring into the blood red orbs of Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. From here on out, it's the flashbacks. :)<p>

It's going to take me a longer time to update now, since I'm adding new memories in with the old and rewriting _a lot_ to suit canon. The updates will probably be once a week? Maybe two? I'll try to be fast with it. I promise not to update once every 6 months or something. ;D

So, in this chapter, I made Kagome's pregnancy a bit more serious. Placental Abruption is a real complication of pregnancy, though not a common one. And if you'll notice, I was _very _careful to hide the fact that she was having twins. She and Sasuke knew about it, but never mentioned it to anyone.

Kakashi and Kagome's interaction is also different, mainly because she's high on painkillers. *laughs* I found his behaviour OOC in the original. So I made him more hesitant about being a father here.

Now about the Hatake Twins! As always, Itachi is named for Uchiha Itachi, and Isuzu is named for Nohara Rin. The Kanji for Suzu can also be read as Rin. Kagome chose those names because Itachi was her precious person while Rin was Kakashi's.

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	10. Chapter 9

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

.

Sakura remembered being in the hospital, trying to process everything without feeling a crippling sense of guilt.

So, Kakashi was the father of Kagome's children then. Not Sasuke. (Now that she'd been able to think clearly again, the woman had been able to see how Kagome's clues about the father also described Kakashi perfectly as well.) It meant that Sakura had attacked an innocent woman, caused her to go into early labour with heavy bleeding that almost resulted in the deaths of her and her two children.

Gods, Sakura had wanted to cry. _What had she done?_

Just as she'd been deciding what exactly she needed to do to make it up to Kagome, she had heard Sasuke call her name, felt a huge flare of chakra from him and she had looked at him. The last thing she saw was a flash of red before everything went blank.

Now she stood alone in this large empty white space.

The white stretched out as far as the eye could see. There appeared to be no end to it. The place was white to the point of being almost blinding. There wasn't a hint of colour or anyone in sight.

"Bastard," Sakura muttered, "He put me under a Genjutsu with his Sharingan."

The pink haired medic put her hands together in the familiar sign and closed her eyes, concentrating. She paused the flow of chakra in her body momentarily before applying a stronger pulse of power to try and disrupt the illusion.

"Kai!" She waited for the Genjutsu to disappear, but nothing happened.

Sakura frowned and tried again, but nothing happened. She grit her teeth in frustration and tried again, the thought of giving up not even crossing her mind. But like the first and second times, nothing happened. Sakura wondered what was wrong. She was a Genjutsu specialist so breaking an illusion like this wasn't a problem for her. Yet nothing was happening. What the heck did Sasuke do?

"Oh, I'll kill him," she swore. "This time I won't just kick him in the balls. No. I'll rip them out and stomp on them until they're mush."

"Maa, maa," a low voice said. "That's a drastic thing to do to a man."

Sakura turned around to see that a previously blank space was now occupied by her former sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei," she said, her voice becoming relieved at the sight of someone familiar. "What are you doing here? What am I doing there? What kind of Genjutsu is this? Why is it so difficult to dispel?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to reply, but someone else beat him to it.

"This isn't an ordinary Genjutsu, Sakura. You're in the world of Tsukuyomi, one of my Mangekyou Sharingan techniques," Sasuke explained, materializing right before their very eyes. "And please don't kick my crotch again. They're still hurting from the first time." The Uchiha took a look at the world around them, ignoring the amused looks that had sprouted on his former teacher's face.

"Hn," he mused quietly. "My world of Tsukuyomi is the complete opposite of Itachi's."

"It appears so," Kakashi said, and their eyes met in commiseration. Both the Copy Ninja and the Uchiha had had a first-hand experience on what Itachi's world of Tsukuyomi had been like. Every once in a while, the scarecrow still had nightmares about it.

"All right Sasuke, why did you bring me and Kakashi-sensei here? What's with this Genjutsu?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

She didn't really know what Sasuke and Kakashi were going on about, and she wasn't interested in finding out. All she was concerned about now was learning how to get out of here.

Sasuke wasn't fazed by the look she was sending him. He had seen much worse. "Tsukuyomi is the ultimate Genjutsu technique. I can control time and space here. Years spent in here can equal only seconds out there. It is impossible to dispel. It will only be over when _I_ decide it's over," Sasuke explained softly. "Kakashi is here because he wanted an answer to the things Kagome told him. You're here because there are some things that I need to show you."

She paused, considering his words. "Show me what?"

"You once asked me before about my relationship with Kagome," he said, and at her cautious nod he continued. "I told you that I wasn't having an affair with her. That I saw her as an older sister and my brother's best friend."

"Yes…" she replied slowly. The guilt that she felt for causing Kagome to go into early labour reared its ugly head and rammed into her like one of Tsunade's chakra-infused fists again. How could Sakura have lost control of herself like that? How could she have done that to a woman she called a friend? How could she have doubted the words of her friend and husband but believed stupid rumours spread around by complete strangers?

Sakura felt a new measure of guilt well up within her when she recalled how _little_ she had trusted her husband and the kind of things she had yelled at him in their apartment. But then she also remembered how he had made her day sheer hell with his vague answers and the kind of things he had yelled back at her too.

No. Sakura wouldn't allow herself to feel guilty for him. He had put her through too much for that to happen.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that. But that's just a part of it. There's more to our relationship than that, and I'm going to show you what it is," Sasuke said, and although his tone was monotonous, Sakura could see the emotion in his eyes. "You might end up hating me afterwards though."

Sakura blinked once in shock, her anger forgotten. _Hate him? _

Even after he had left Konoha and became a Missing-Nin, Sakura had never hated him. She'd felt angry with him for leaving and sad that he wouldn't come back, but she had never hated him. Yet now he was telling her that something he did involving Kagome would possibly result in her hating him? What was it? Did he sleep with the woman?

"It's either hating me or being disgusted by me," Sasuke finished sardonically. His eyes were shadowed.

Sakura's heart wavered. "Sasuke I would never—" she started to say, but he shook his head.

"Don't be so sure of it just yet. You haven't seen what I've done to her," he told her, his face wry. Then the expression melted away and his face became a blank mask. His tone was serious. "To get the answers that you both want I'll be showing you the memories of Kagome's life."

"The memories of her life?" Kakashi repeated, "How did you come by those?"

"Some, she showed to me," was the succinct reply. "We're good friends, and she had no problems letting me see them. The other memories I got from Itachi and the rest of the memories are of my own."

Sakura took a moment to process the information. She wasn't too shocked at the thought of Kagome being capable enough to show Sasuke her memories.

The blue-eyed woman wasn't a Kunoichi, but she still had her chakra and she knew how to use it. Not being a Kunoichi also didn't stop her from helping the Alliance in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Kagome and Sasuke had been fighting in the Third Division alongside Sakura and Kakashi. During the battles with the army of White Zetsu and the Ninja brought back from Edo Tensei, the pink haired medic had seen first hand what Kagome could do.

No, she wasn't shocked by Kagome's abilities. The woman was a Kunoichi in everything but a name.

"We'll need to start at the beginning then," Sasuke spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"How far back is the beginning?" Kakashi asked softly.

Sasuke took a moment to work it out. "Starting around the time Kagome is two-ish. That was when she met Itachi. Sakura," he said, looking at his wife. "If you want to understand my relationship with Kagome, first you have to understand the kind of relationship she had with my brother. And Kakashi, when I show you the memories of your interactions with Kagome, pay attention and reflect on her behaviour."

The Copy Ninja nodded while Sakura replied, "R-right."

"All right, let's begin," he told them softly, and the white space before them started to disappear while a new scene materialised in it's wake.

* * *

><p>They were in Konoha.<p>

Sakura didn't know exactly what street they were on and which part of town they were in, but it was still undeniably, distinctly, uniquely, Konoha. Even after 20 years and being destroyed twice (once by Kurama's attack and another by Pein's) Sakura could still see the similarities that her present-day village had with this one. The only thing that really stood out to her right now was the Hokage Monument, or rather, the three stone heads currently on it.

_Ah, that's right_, Sakura recalled. _Yondaime-sama hasn't been chosen yet. _She vaguely wondered if she would see him around in Kagome's memories.

From what she could tell, it was some time in the afternoon, probably earlier than later. The streets were somewhat crowded. Both civilians and Ninja walked by the three time travellers, going about their daily businesses and errands. Children ran across the streets, laughing joyously as they played and Sakura almost ended up stumbling in shock when one child ran _straight through her. _

"Relax," Sasuke said calmly, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Since these are just memories, we're essentially ghosts here."

The woman shrugged him off. "What are supposed to be looking for?"

The Uchiha took her rebuttal with a quiet grace. "That."

Sakura turned, looking to where Sasuke had indicated. A woman was coming down the far end of the street towards them. She was wearing a dark blouse and a plum coloured skirt. A medium-sized yellow bag was slung under her shoulder and in her arms she carried a small child probably no older than three. When Sakura glanced at the woman's face, she found her mouth opening in surprise.

The woman heading towards them looked like _Sasuke_.

Perhaps not completely, but the resemblance was uncanny. She had the same dark hair, the same doe-shaped eyes, the same fair skin and the same sort of quiet beauty as the man. Sakura glanced back at her husband, and saw that he was staring at the woman with a hint of sorrow on his face.

"Is that your mother?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "Uchiha Mikoto."

Sakura turned back to look at her. "Then the child in her arms is…"

"Yes. My brother Itachi."

Sakura didn't know what to say. What could you say in this sort of situation? She felt a wave of pity flash through her. It had to be very hard on Sasuke seeing his family and his brother alive again in these memories and yet he _still_ offered to show them to Kakashi and Sakura.

Sakura still didn't know what to say to him. She turned to Kakashi. He looked like he didn't know what to say either.

As Mikoto finally passed by them, Sasuke seemed to snap himself of whatever daze he had gotten into when he first saw her. "Let's go then," he said crisply, and took off after her. Sakura and Kakashi followed. Even though they weren't physically there, the two still did their best to avoid bumping into anyone on the streets. Their basic instincts were simply too strong to avoid.

Sasuke on the other hand just walked straight through people without a care in the world.

"Kaa-san, where are we going?" Sakura heard little Itachi ask. His voice sounded melodious to her ears.

"We're going to the house of a friend of Kaa-san's. You remember Auntie Kun Loon right?" At Itachi's nod, Mikoto continued. "Well, she has a daughter about your age and her name is Kagome-chan. Would you like to be her friend?"

"Only if she likes me," he said seriously. Itachi may have been a child now, but he was still as thoughtful as when he was an adult.

Mikoto broke out into an amused smile and she pressed a kiss to her baby's forehead. "Don't worry my little leaf, she'll like you."

"But the other children don't like me. They think I'm weird because I like doing the things they don't, like reading about our village history," Itachi explained calmly, and Sakura could hear the tiniest bit of hurt in his voice.

She felt a bit of empathy for him. She may not have been a genius of his level, but she too had been an outcast once for her intelligence.

"You're not weird my little leaf. The other children just can't see how wonderful you are because they're ordinary, while _you _on the other hand, are extraordinary," Mikoto replied. "So instead of making you play with ordinary children, Kaa-san is going to let you play with children like you."

Itachi perked up. "Like me?"

Mikoto nodded with a smile. "Yes my little leaf, like you. Kagome-chan is extraordinary too."

Sakura couldn't help but let out a little smile at their exchange. It was obvious that the woman really loved her son from the way she patiently spoke to him right to the way she held him in her arms. She glanced at Sasuke. He was smiling too, but it was a sad smile.

Very soon, Mikoto reached a street filled with houses.

She walked up to the first house on the left and pressed the doorbell. A moment later the door opened and a pretty woman with short brown hair appeared. She smiled at the sight of Itachi and Mikoto.

"Hello Mikoto," Kun Loon said, a warm smile on her face. "And hello to you too Itachi-chan."

"Hello Auntie," Itachi replied.

"Your son is very polite, Mikoto," Kun Loon said admiringly.

Mikoto adjusted her grip on her son. Her eyes shone with pride. "Yes, he is."

"Well, come on in then. Don't be shy! Make yourselves at home!" Kun Loon said, stepping out of the way. Mikoto and Itachi entered the house, with Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi following behind.

Sakura looked around, taking everything in. The Higurashi house was the typical size of a modern two-storey home. It was well furbished, with plenty of family pictures hung up around the house. Sakura breathed, inhaling the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies that seemed to permeate the air. Overall, Kagome's family house seemed like a very warm and welcoming place, full of love and joy.

Sakura could hear the faint sound of a child's laughter coming from somewhere in the house.

Itachi shifted in his mother's arms, looking around to try and find the source.

"I see Kagerou's home," Mikoto noted with a smile.

Kun Loon nodded, a loving expression on her face. "He came back from his mission last night. Now he and Kagome-chan are making cookies in the kitchen."

Mikoto let out a little laugh. "Your daughter is a real daddy's girl, ne?"

"That she is."

The two women reached outside the kitchen and Sakura blinked, taking a good look at the sight inside.

The kitchen was a food warzone. It looked like someone had detonated by a small bomb made entirely out of flour in there. Cookie batter was splattered on the cabinets, the sink, the counter, the windows and even the walls. Eggshells lined the floors and sugar spilled across the countertops.

A man stood by the counter. He was young and handsome, with striking blue eyes and a kind smile. His dark hair, face and clothes were stained in a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar and cookie batter, as if someone had thrown a handful of it at him. Next to him, on a high stool, stood a small girl in a dress with equally dark hair and blue eyes the exact same shade as the man's. She looked like she was _made _of the ingredients.

Sakura and Kakashi felt their breaths catch. Though the girl was young and messy, she was still unmistakably _Kagome. _

"Honestly, I leave you two alone for _five_ minutes," Kun Loon spoke up, sounding exasperated. Behind her, Mikoto struggled not to laugh while Itachi merely blinked quietly in his mother's arms, his wide eyes taking stock of the mess.

The father-daughter duo eyed each other with equally contrite expressions on their faces, before breaking out into giggles.

"Do I even _want_ to know how you both ended up like this?" Kun Loon asked dryly.

The man straightened and swiped a hand over his face, smearing more flour on his cheeks. "Probably not, my dearest," he said sheepishly. Then his blue eyes took note of the guests behind his wife. A mild flush came over his cheeks. "Ah, hello Mikoto, nice to see you again. I'm afraid you've caught me at a bad time."

"Hello Kagerou," Mikoto said amusedly. "It appears I have. This is my son, Itachi." The child shifted in her arms to get a better look at him.

"Ah, hello there Itachi-kun," Kagerou said with a smile, "I hope you don't mind the mess. My name is Higurashi Kagerou, but you can call me Uncle instead. It's very nice to meet you."

Itachi remained silent for a moment, considering the man. "Hello Uncle. It's nice to meet you too."

Kagerou seemed to notice that the boy's eyes were now fixed on the person next to him. "Ah, and this is my daughter Kagome," he said, placing a gentle hand on the girl's head. "Kagome-chan, say hello to Itachi-kun."

The girl, who had been watching her father talk to the strangers, didn't say a word.

Instead, she scrambled off the stool (with some assistance from her father) and went towards the boy. Itachi on the other hand struggled briefly in his mother's hold and after she set him down, he headed towards the girl. The two children came to a stop in front of each other, neither one speaking. Kagome just continued to stare at Itachi with those unwavering blue eyes while the Uchiha looked back at her, his own gaze steady. The two behaved like a couple of cats sizing each other up, much to the amusement of everyone around, Sakura included.

Then suddenly, Kagome smiled.

It was a beautiful and dazzling smile, one that could melt the hearts of even the hardest of men. Uchiha Itachi never stood a chance. From behind him, Sakura could see that the small boy was lost. Lost in those blue eyes and that smile, lost but never wanting to find the way back again.

"Hi Itachi," Kagome said, in a soft, sweet voice. She held out her hand. "Want to be friends?"

Itachi stared at her outstretched hand a moment before looking up to meet her eyes. Then, for the first time _ever_ that Sakura had seen in this memory, the boy's lips twitched up into a small, but genuine smile.

"Yes," he said simply, and as Sakura watched him place his hand in Kagome's, the scene around them swirled before disappearing away.

* * *

><p>Another scene materialised in its wake.<p>

In it, Itachi and a now cleaned up Kagome were sitting on the couch in the living room of her house. There was a plate of freshly baked cookies placed on the table in front of them and they were both eating from it as they talked. Well, mostly it was Kagome that talked. Itachi just listened to her quietly, an attentive look on his young face and sometimes, he would reply her back.

Sakura's lips twitched into a small smile. It seemed like Kagome had been _quite_ the chatterbox in her youth.

But then her smile faded when she recalled how _different_ the Kagome she knew back in the present seemed now when compared to this innocent and carefree little girl. Sakura would never have expected them to be the same person. The Kagome that she knew was older beyond her years, a woman shaped deeply by the events of her past. She was jaded, broken and prone to random bouts of unexplained melancholy. Much like Sasuke was.

Sakura's eyes glanced over to her husband. She wondered if he too had been like carefree like this before the slaughter of his clan.

Behind the two children, Kagerou painstakingly cleaned up the mess in the kitchen while Kun Loon and Mikoto chatted near him by the counter, nursing identical cups of warm tea and a plate of cookies. Occasionally, the women would pause in their conversation and look at their children with identical fond looks on their faces.

"Ah, dearest, can't you help me with this?" Kagerou asked as he swept the floor.

Kun Loon glanced at him. "No," her smile seemed downright predatory. "You made this mess, so you clean it up."

"But I wasn't the only one…" he protested weakly.

"Your daughter is only a child but you're an adult," she said reasonably. "So as a grown adult and a man, take responsibility for your actions and clean up your own mess instead of asking me to help."

The man sighed, and continued his sweeping. "Yes dearest."

"I'm glad we have an understanding," Kun Loon said, and turned back to Mikoto. Sakura bit back a laugh.

The scene around her started to fade again and another appeared. This time, Itachi was playing with Kagome in what Sakura guessed was probably the backyard of the boy's house. The design of the backyard was too… traditional to be Kagome's. From what Sakura had seen, the girl's house had been modern in layout. It would have been a bizarre thing to have differing designs for the outside and inside of the house.

Anyway, the two children were in Itachi's backyard, taking turns throwing dummy Kunai at a target marked out on a tree.

"After that first meeting, Itachi and Kagome spent a lot of the year playing together at each other's houses," Sasuke began softly. His piercing eyes were completely focused on the moving form of his brother.

Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the young Uchiha either. Even at a young age, it was so easy to see why many had hailed Itachi as a prodigy. _He was good. _

"My mother saw how isolated my brother was because he was a prodigy and wanted him to have a friend who understood. My father on the other hand wanted to foster a good relationship between the two heirs of the Uchiha Clan and the Higurashi Clan. In the past, members of that Clan were well known throughout the Five Countries for their unparalleled sensor abilities and great understanding of Barriers and Sealing. They even possessed a unique chakra capable of defeating _demons_," Sasuke explained. "With a Sharingan, it's possible for an Uchiha to control the Tailed Beasts but with the Higurashi's chakra, they are able to _kill _the Tailed Beasts. So even with the Higurashi Clan currently a shadow if it's former self, my father still wanted us to ally ourselves with them."

Sakura stayed silent for a moment, considering Sasuke's words.

She had known that Kagome's knowledge of barriers and sealing was supreme in Konoha, even beating out Ninja who specialised in Fuuinjutsu. The blue-eyed woman currently worked as a freelance consultant for anything pertaining to that subject. Sakura had also seen Kagome's strange chakra before, and how lethal it was. The colour of Kagome's chakra was neither the light blue of ordinary chakra nor the green of healing chakra.

It was light pink, nearly white.

Sakura had only seen that colour of chakra on one other person before. Shion, the Priestess from Demon Country. And even then, comparing Shion's chakra to Kagome's was like comparing a single candle to a raging bonfire.

"Sasuke… what did you mean when you said the Higurashi Clan was a shadow of it's former self?" Sakura asked, even though she had a sinking feeling in her gut she already knew the answer.

In the background she could faintly hear the steady thunk of Itachi's Kunai as it continuously hit its target.

Sasuke looked at her, his gaze clouded. "The Higurashi Clan was a powerful but peaceful clan. The members were pure of heart, as reflected in the colour of their chakra, and they didn't like fighting or conflict. In the end though, the Clan was attacked by those who feared their strength and nearly wiped out."

Sakura stared at him. Exterminating an entire clan, _a peaceful clan,_ just because they feared their power? "That's…"

"Yes, that is horrible. But that isn't the first time it's happened," Kakashi spoke up. The man had been so quiet throughout their whole time in Kagome's memories that Sakura had almost forgotten he was there. "It's the same way that people in Kiri killed anyone possessing a Kekkei Genkai while Iwa teamed up with Kumo and destroyed Uzushiogakure because they feared their Fuuinjutsu," he said softly.

"Yes," Sasuke agreed with a grim nod. "As far as Kagome knew, her family were the only known survivors of the clan."

Sakura swallowed, and turned back to watch the scene. Itachi had finished his turn, and now it was Kagome's again. She threw the dummy Kunai with a steady hand, but it failed to hit the target. After a few more unsuccessful throwing attempts, the girl let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She opened them again when she felt Itachi step up behind her.

His small hand closed over hers, still gripping a Kunai, and he started speaking slowly, explaining what she was doing wrong and demonstrating how it should have been done instead. Sakura marvelled at his kindness and patience.

The next time Kagome threw a Kunai, it finally embedded itself into the target, dead centre.

The girl's striking blue eyes lit up in such unbridled joy and she turned back, flashing Itachi a wide grin. The young Uchiha smiled back at her, then motioned for her to try it again.

The scene faded, and another one materialised.

Kagome and Itachi were on the floor now, trying to make sense of some sealing scrolls they had spread out in front of them. The style of the room they were in was traditional in make, so they were in Itachi's house then. The parents of both children were sitting nearby, talking and watching their offspring together with pleased smiles on their lips.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed Kagerou place his hand tenderly over the slight bulge of Kun Loon's stomach.

The scene faded and another materialised again. Sakura watched how Itachi and Kagome had a sleepover in the girl's bedroom, how the young Uchiha's eyes were wide in wonder and perhaps a little bit of fear at the horror story she was enthusiastically telling him.

The pink haired woman watched how Kagerou eventually came to tuck them in, how gently he kissed his daughter's forehead and how he prodded Itachi's instead when the boy shied away.

The memory shifted again. Itachi and Kagome, eating sticks of dango in his backyard. _Shift. _Itachi and Kagome, playing chakra control exercises and marvelling at the colour of her chakra. _Shift. _Itachi and Kagome, both looking at Kagerou in absolute wonder as he explained about Barrier and Sealing Techniques. _Shift. _Itachi and Kagome, sleeping beside each other after a long day of playing. _Shift. _Itachi and Kagome, placing their small hands over Kun Loon's stomach, now much bigger, and looking at her with amazement in their eyes as they feel the life beneath. _Shift. _Itachi and Kagome, both poking and prodding curiously at the girl's new baby brother, much to Kagerou and Kun Loon's amusement.

Kagome's memories of the times she spent with Itachi continued to shift by in a flash. Sasuke never dwelled long on them. He simply gave Sakura and Kakashi enough time to understand what was going on in it before changing the scene again.

_Sasuke was right though_, Sakura found herself thinking as she watched Kagome put a flower in Itachi's hair. _They were very close._

As Sakura continued watching, the happy memories of Kagome's childhood seemed never-ending. She had a family that loved her and a best friend who understood everything about her.

It was like a kaleidoscope made up of solely happy moments. Until finally, it wasn't anymore.

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. It's flashbacks time! :)<p>

I was planning to update on the weekend. But then I decided to do it like this. This chapter was originally over 9, 000 words, but I've split it in two. I'll probably do the same for the other chapters so you'll get about two updates a week instead of one every week/two weeks. Doesn't that sound better?

So I expanded a bit on Sasuke's talk with Sakura and Kakashi in this. If you're wondering what he means when he says Sakura might end up hating him, he's talking about what he did to mentally scar Kagome for life. I've actually/sorta revealed it last chapter, and am a bit surprised no one mentioned/asked about it.

I also added Kagome and Itachi's first meeting. Mikoto's nickname for Itachi is inspired by the LOTR/Hobbit fandom. I thought it was fitting.

The next chapter is Kakashi and Kagome's first meeting. It'll probably be up by Monday.

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	11. Chapter 10

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

.

It was raining, Sakura could see.

The sky was overcast with grey clouds and the thunder rumbled overhead. Rain fell from the heavens in a somewhat heavy downpour that was sure to soak someone within minutes.

But Sakura wasn't wet. She remained perfectly dry. She supposed that there were _some _benefits to being a ghost here.

As the pink haired medic took a look around, she noticed how familiar the surroundings seemed. With dread in her gut, she suddenly realised why. They were in the cemetery meant for Ninja, and there was a funeral being held.

Many people, both Ninja and civilians dressed in black, were there for the ceremony.

Some of the attendees were crying whilst others looked very solemn. Some stood under umbrellas while some didn't, preferring to get soaked by the rain as it better hid their tears. Every single one of them was staring at wooden coffin that was placed in front of the crowd. The coffin's lid was closed, but a photograph of the deceased was placed on a small table beside it.

Sakura swallowed, seeing a handsome, _familiar_ face. It was Kagerou_._

She reluctantly tore her eyes away from the photograph and started looking around for his family, _Kagome's _family. God, how _old_ was Kagome now? Did she even understand what had happened to Kagerou?

From the earlier memories, Sakura had seen how close Kagome was to the man. How was she feeling now? Was she _okay_?

Near the front of the funeral gatherers, Sakura finally spotted someone familiar standing under an umbrella. It was Kun Loon. She looked as if she had aged a decade overnight. Tears were trickling down her cheeks and her entire body was trembling. She was sobbing, _gasping, _as if her entire world had ended and Sakura could practically feel the grief pouring out of her.

Her heart hurt for the woman. And a part of Sakura couldn't help but wonder if that was how _she _would react if Sasuke ever died. She shoved the thought away before it could fully take root. No, she wouldn't think about it. She wouldn't.

Uchiha Mikoto stood on Kun Loon's left, carrying a sleeping baby in her arms. Sakura guessed that it was most probably Kagome's younger brother. And on Kun Loon's right stood a beautiful woman with long, flowing red hair. Even though she had never seen her before, Sakura couldn't help but find something familiar about her. The redhead had her arms wrapped around the brown-haired woman shoulders.

Her hold was possibly the only thing preventing Kun Loon from collapsing to the ground.

The redhead was looking at her friend but for a moment, she glanced up at Kagerou's photograph. Her stormy violet eyes were tempered with grief. Why was her blonde-haired lover currently out of the village with his team? The redhead could have really used his presence here. She wanted him to hold her in his arms, because when he did it always made her feel like everything was going to be all right, even when it wasn't. The woman swallowed, and turned back to Kun Loon.

Sakura stared at them, all the while wondering where Kagome was. So far, Sakura hadn't seen her. Did she even attend her father's funeral?

She must have, otherwise there wouldn't have been a memory.

Suddenly, Mikoto shifted, and Sakura finally saw the two children standing under an umbrella behind her. Itachi and Kagome were still small in size, so they could have hid behind the grownups without ever being noticed. It was no wonder Sakura hadn't spotted them before.

The pink haired woman felt her heart clench when she saw the expression on the girl's face. Unlike her mother, Kagome's face was blank. Utterly, eerily, blank.

"How old is she now…?" Sakura asked, unnerved. Kagome's face should not look like that. There should be a grief, sorrow, anything! Just not that blankness. Anything was better than that dead look she had currently.

"Three," Kakashi replied, his voice solemn.

"Three." Sakura repeated numbly, closing her eyes. Only three years old when her father died. _Three_. _Good god. _Then Sakura's eyes snapped back open, as she seemed to realise something. It had never even crossed her mind before. Until now.

"Sensei," her voice was meek, almost fearful. "Why haven't I seen Kagome's mother and brother in the present before?"

It was true. Sakura had worked in the hospital for almost eight years now, and had been friends with Kagome for four of those years. Yet Sakura had _never_ seen nor heard of Higurashi Kun Loon or Higurashi Souta before. Not even once.

Kakashi let out a tired sigh. "It would surprise me if you _had_. They both perished during the Kyuubi attack. Kagome was five."

Sakura clenched her fists and a part of her mourned the loss of her friend's innocence. To lose one's whole family at such a young age… Sakura was twenty now, but both of her parents were still alive. She felt slightly guilty for that.

The three Ninja continued to watch the funeral procession and Sakura blinked once in surprise as she recognised the man coming forward to speak.

It was Sarutobi. He looked so _young_ compared to the ancient, imposing and kind figure she knew from her childhood. His hair was still a deep brown and there were fewer wrinkles on his face. As the Sandaime Hokage launched into a speech about Kagerou, Kun Loon trembled harder and sobbed even louder. The redhead started whispering comfortingly in her friend's ear, trying to calm her down. Kagome's face still remained blank.

By the time the funeral had ended, the rain had stopped.

People began dispersing and Mikoto handed the young Souta to her husband, Fugaku. Sakura cracked a small smile (after all this sadness, she needed to _smile _damn it, even if it was just a little one) when she saw how plain uncomfortable the man looked holding a squirming baby in his arms. He opened his mouth to protest, but when Mikoto gave him a dry stare, he immediately shut up.

Then Mikoto wrapped her arms around Kun Loon as well, and together she and the redhead gently guided their friend away from the cemetery.

"Itachi," Sakura suddenly heard Mikoto call. The woman and the redhead had stopped leading Kun Loon away. Mikoto's head was turned slightly as she stared at the two children still in front of the tombstone. "Kagome-chan, it's time to go."

The boy looked back at his mother, but the girl didn't respond.

Mikoto sighed softly. "My little leaf, you stay here with Kagome-chan and keep her some company okay? Then when she's ready to go, bring her back safe to the Uchiha estate," she instructed.

Itachi nodded solemnly. "Yes, Kaa-san."

Mikoto watched them for a moment longer before turning back and leaving.

The young Uchiha remained by his best friend's side as she continued to stand in front of her father's grave. He found himself looking at the brief inscription on the tombstone. _Higurashi Kagerou. Jounin. Beloved Husband and Father. Died in battle. A loyal Ninja of Konoha till the end._

Itachi closed his eyes, feeling a wave of grief was over him as he remembered the kind man who always made the time in his busy schedule to help his daughter and her best friend in their studies because they asked him to, who always poked the boy's forehead as a sign of his affection because of how Itachi felt uncomfortable with kisses from anyone who wasn't his mother, who always loved Itachi as if the boy were his own son.

Itachi would miss him. No matter how many years may pass, Itachi would always miss him.

The boy opened his eyes again and glanced at his best friend. She hadn't said a word. In fact, throughout the upheavals over the past few days (ever since Kagerou came home in a box) Itachi couldn't remember even once where she spoke. Or cried.

No, Kagome hadn't reacted at all. She was just… empty.

"Why don't you cry?" Itachi asked softly. Even _he_ had shed a few tears when he first found out Kagerou was dead. But she hadn't.

Kagome said nothing, and Itachi wanted to cry then and there. His best friend, the girl who had held out her hand to him and had asked him if they wanted to be friends, the girl who had come into his lonely little world with her bright smiles and her joyous laughter and had lit it up like a star. It seemed like that girl had been buried in the same grave as her father, and was never coming back.

"Please_,_" Itachi's voice sounded breathless. "Please don't shut everything out. Say something, Kagome. Anything."

The young Uchiha knew that it was unhealthy for her to bottle her feelings like this.

If she kept doing it, there would come a time in the future where she could no longer contain them. All those suppressed feelings would come exploding out like a raging volcano, and he knew that when it finally happened, it would destroy her.

He never wanted it to happen.

Something in the young Uchiha's voice finally made Kagome look away from the grave and at him. She stared at him with blank blue eyes (_Kagerou's eyes_, Itachi found himself thinking) for a moment, before angerseemed to ignite in them and a bitter smile crossed her lips.

"What do you want me to say?" she finally asked. There was an indiscernible edge to her voice. "How _angry_ I am with Daddy for not coming back safe and abandoning us like this? How much I _hate_ seeing Mama sad? How _angry_ I am with her too even though I know it's unreasonable of me? Because Mama is supposed to be the strong one, but now all she can do is cry and she even forgets to look after Souta so I have to watch him instead. That I have to be strong even though all I want to do is fall apart? Is that what you want me to say Itachi?"

"Yes," Itachi said, looking at her with sad eyes. "That's what I want you to say. It's okay if you feel that way about Uncle and Auntie, Kagome. It's okay. That's a normal part of grieving. You also don't need to strong for others. Just be strong for yourself. It's okay to be weak sometimes. Your tears are your own. They don't belong to anyone else. So if you want to cry, then you should cry Kagome. Don't bottle it up. It's okay to let go, you understand? It's okay."

The anger melted away from Kagome's eyes, and she swallowed.

"… It's not okay… I still can't believe that Daddy's never coming back…" Kagome said this time, her voice thick with emotion this time. "If I close my eyes, I can still feel the kiss he gave me before he left on his mission. I can still hear him telling me to look after Mama and Souta while he's gone."

Itachi never shied away from her gaze. He just continued to stare at her with those calm, sad eyes.

Kagome placed her hands over her heart, gripping the fabric of her clothes tightly. "My chest hurts," she rasped out softly. "Why couldn't you have just let me be numb Itachi? Why must you tell me that it's okay to cry…? Why is it even necessary to cry? Well, I won't cry. I definitely won't cry."

She stood completely still as Itachi reached out to brush away something against her cheek.

"You already are," he said softly.

The young girl's eyes widened, and she brought her hands up to her face. They came away wet. She looked at her fingers, and then looked back at her best friend. He was looking at her with gentle eyes, waiting for her to react. A moment later, Kagome's face finally crumpled and she let out a sob. Itachi immediately pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Kagome's own arms came up and seized the folds of his clothes. She buried her face into the side of his neck and started crying in earnest. Her small body trembled with each heartrending gasp that she let out.

The young Uchiha could feel his shirt becoming soaked with her tears but he said nothing. He just continued to hold her.

On that cold, wet day, Uchiha Itachi silently swore to himself that he would become a Ninja strong enough to protect Kagome from the Third Great Ninja War and to prevent her from feeling like this ever again.

Uchiha Itachi also swore that he would _never _spare anyone who dared to make her cry. (Even if it was himself.)

* * *

><p>Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the scene. Kagome was being embraced and comforted by Uchiha Itachi.<p>

Wasn't that a bit unnerving? She found it hard to reconcile this child with the man ( or _boy _actually. Only a thirteen-year-old boy) who had been ordered to slaughter his entire clan, including his parents, and did so without even batting an eyelid, all for the sake of preventing a civil war in Konoha.

Sakura had personally never met him face-to-face before (the clone they fought during Gaara's rescue mission didn't count) but she had still seen the repercussions of some of the horrible things he had done. Like mentally torturing Sasuke back then they were Genin by making him see the slaughter of his family again and again, so much that it resulted the Uchiha being in a coma for over a week.

Sakura knew that deep down Itachi had the best of intentions, but still, the man had a _really _shitty way of showing it sometimes.

It seemed that for now, he didn't though. No, he didn't. Kagome was still crying her heart out, and Itachi was still holding her. He said nothing to the girl, instead running his hand up and down her back in a soothing fashion.

It was sad, but also sweet, really.

As Sakura watched, Kagome, Itachi and the cemetery around them finally faded away and another scene materialised in its wake. This time, the three Ninja found themselves standing in front of Kagome's house again. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, the pink haired medic could see that it was only morning.

Kagome, looking as young and as forlorn as she did in the previous memory, sat on her doorstep, staring at the ground.

"This is a few days after the funeral," Sasuke spoke up softly, watching the small girl.

_Ah. _Sakura thought. But at least Kagome wasn't numb anymore.

Suddenly, Kagome looked up. Her expression was no longer depressed. Instead, she looked to be intensely concentrating on something. Sakura watched quietly as a small but relieved smile broke out on the young girl's face and she stood up, taking to the streets in a run.

"Come on," Sasuke told them, and chased after her.

"Where is she going?" Sakura asked, scrambling to follow.

Kakashi said nothing, but, "You'll see," was Sasuke's 'helpful' reply. Sakura rolled her eyes and continued running.

Kagome dashed through the crowded streets like a pro, weaving and ducking effortlessly around people and their wares. She didn't stop running, and she also didn't crash into anyone or anything. Sasuke, Kakashi and Sakura eventually ended up following her via the rooftops (it was weird to find out that they could still use chakra to stick to surfaces, even if it was only a memory) because the latter two Ninja were still uncomfortable with the idea of just running straight through people.

With the high ground, Sakura was finally able to plot out where the young girl was running to.

The gates of Konoha were as large and as imposing as they were in the past. Sakura watched as Kagome ran through the gates, past the guards who let her go without a word of protest, and towards the four people approaching.

All of them were Ninja. There was a handsome yellow-haired man with cerulean blue eyes who bore a strong resemblance to Naruto. Sakura knew that this could only be her friend's father, the famed Yellow Flash of Konoha and future Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. He was dressed in the standard Ninja gear, with only some minor adjustments to his sleeves. Walking beside him was a teenager with black hair, black eyes and a pair of orange goggles atop his head.

A pretty girl with brown hair cut into a bob was walking on Minato's other side. The two purple marks on her cheeks reminded Sakura a bit of the Inuzuka clan. She was walking alongside a familiar boy with spiky silver hair and a mask covering the lower half of his face.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and she looked to her former sensei, then back to his teenage self several times.

Meanwhile, the adult Kakashi could only stare at his former team in silence, the longing and regret weighing heavy in his heart. Gods, he had really _missed_ them… How long had it been since the scarecrow had seen them all together and alive like this? How long had it been since he'd heard their voices and seen the happiness in their eyes that hadn't yet been tainted by the Kannabi Bridge? (_Over two decades_, a part of his mind whispered. Far, _far_, too long…)

As Kagome ran up towards Minato's team, the black haired boy quickened his pace.

"Huh? Kagome-chan, what are you doing here? Where's Itachi-kun?" he asked, adjusting his goggles.

The young girl didn't reply. She was only focused on one man.

Sakura watched as Kagome ran by everyone and straight up to Minato (who looked very surprised to see her) and tackled him in a hug. Since the girl was still quite small, she only came up to the man's leg. But Kagome didn't mind. She just buried her face into his pants and wouldn't let go.

"Kagome-chan, what's wrong?" Minato asked gently, placing his hand on the girl's head.

He was aware of some of the weird looks his students (mainly Kakashi) were giving him, but he didn't care. Kagome was normally a very cheerful and bright child. To see her behaving like this, it meant that something bad had happened.

"Kagome-chan?" he asked again. He already feared what she was going to say.

He felt the girl shudder once against him. "_Daddy died._" She said it so quietly that it seemed only he had heard it.

_Oh. _Minato sucked in a sharp breath and he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Higurashi Kagerou had been a friend of his. He had met the man through Kushina (His girlfriend and Kagerou had been good buddies because of the things they had in common with each other. They shared a love of Fuuinjutsu, possessed a unique chakra and were the last few survivors of their clan) and they had known each other for years.

It was painful for Minato to find out that Kagerou had died while he'd been out of the village. Had the blonde also missed his funeral?

Minato was known as the fastest man alive in all the Five Countries, but yet he always seemed to be too late whenever it involved the things that mattered to him. The Jounin's heart was hurting terribly from the loss of his friend, but he knew it was nothing compared to what Kagome was feeling. Her father had been everything to her.

"Oh, Kagome-chan," Minato said softly, kneeling down so he could take the girl in his arms. He rested his chin atop her head. "I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry too," Kagome said softly, wrapping her small arms around his neck tightly. "I know you and Daddy were friends, and I'm so sorry that you couldn't make it back for his funeral."

Minato felt his throat tighten in an unpleasant way and he closed his eyes.

He took in deep, even breaths and suppressed his strong urge to break down into tears. This was a three-year-old childwho had lost her father, a man whom she was extremely close to, and yet _she_ was the one trying to comfort _him_? It wasn't right. She was just a little girl. It wasn't right that she had to grow up so fast like this. Minato had last seen her only a few weeks ago. She had still had her innocence then. Now, he could see that it was gone. Gone with the wind. It wasn't right.

"Sensei?"

Minato opened his eyes to see Rin and Obito staring at him with concern on their faces. They didn't know what was wrong but Kakashi… from his stiff body language the blonde could tell that the youth's enhanced hearing had picked up on what he and Kagome had said. Even though it had been nearly four years now, Kakashi was still very affected by his own father's death.

"Sensei? What's wrong with Kagome-chan?" Obito asked, frowning.

Kagome slowly relinquished her hold on the man and he let out a soft sigh, shoving his grief away. Now wasn't the time for mourning. Only later, when he was in the arms of his fiery lover, only _then_ would he break down.

"Higurashi Kagerou-san has passed away," Minato said softly.

The black-haired boy blinked once in shock, before he reacted. "No fucking way! Uncle Kagerou has—?!"

"_Obito._" Minato's voice was sharp. _Don't be so disrespectful, _were the unsaid words.

Obito stopped his outburst and rubbed at his eyes, now wet with tears. "Sorry Minato-sensei," he muttered, before looking at the girl. "Aw Kagome-chan, I'm so sorry about your dad… I really liked Uncle Kagerou…"

"Thank you, Obito-nii," she replied softly, her blue eyes solemn.

Obito rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what to say next to clear this uncomfortable silence in the air. He was so unused to see her acting this way. She was always so cheerful during all previous times they had met before. His eyes darted over to his teammate standing beside him. She was looking at Kagome in a concerned sort of way. He knew that her mothering instincts were coming out to the forefront.

"Ah Rin!" he said suddenly, "This is Kagome, the girl I told you about! I babysit her and my cousin Itachi sometimes."

"Hello Kagome-chan," Rin said with a gentle smile, "I'm Nohara Rin, Obito's teammate. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Nohara-san," the girl replied politely.

Rin shook her head. "Call me Rin-chan."

There was a pause. "… Rin-chan-san?"

"No, no Kagome-chan." Rin tried not to laugh. "Just Rin-chan."

Kagome bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. "… All right. Thank you… Rin-chan."

Rin smiled. "There, that wasn't so hard was it? It's really nice to meet you Kagome-chan."

"It's nice to meet you too, Rin-chan," Kagome said, her lips twitching up into a small smile. It wasn't like one of her past smiles, but it was a start.

There was another moment of silence between everyone, and soon the three members of Team Minato turned to look at their last remaining member who hadn't spoken _at all_.

"Kakashi, why don't you introduce yourself?" Rin asked, and by the tone of her voice, it wasn't a request.

The silver haired youth wanted to decline and maybe even _Shunshin_ away (because what was the point to all this?) but he caught the look his sensei was giving him and he sighed softly, knowing there was no way out.

"Hatake Kakashi," he said curtly, and Minato was sorely tempted to smack his anti-social student in the head.

"Higurashi Kagome," the girl replied politely. "It's nice to meet you, Hatake-san."

He flinched behind his mask. Hatake-san reminded him of his father. "Call me Kakashi."

"Oh," Kagome blinked. "Okay. It's nice to meet you, Kakashi-san."

The prodigy nodded and said nothing else.

Minato turned his eyes heavenward and silently prayed for a divine being to grant him some patience. Getting Kakashi to speak more than a single sentence whenever the youth didn't want to was like trying to convince Jiraiya not to peek at women in the baths. Bloody near impossible.

"Kakashi, do you have _anything_ else to say to Kagome-chan?" His voice was steel. _Like offering your condolences for the loss of her father?_

The youth let out another sigh. "Listen up," Kakashi began, and after a pair of curious blue eyes met his pair of bored onyx eyes, he continued speaking. "The death of someone precious to you doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Don't be a weak and depressed crybaby who expects everyone to fall at your feet and show sympathy for you. You have to dry your tears, suck it up and get on with your life because if you don't, who will?" he told her seriously.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone processed his words. Then came the reactions.

Kagome blinked at him, her mouth falling open in surprise while Minato, Obito, and Rin reeled back in horror. Sasuke stared at the scene with a smirk on his lips while Sakura looked shocked. She glanced to her former sensei standing beside her.

"Really sensei?" she asked, brow raised.

The man let out a nervous laugh. "I swear that I only had the best of intentions."

"Best of intentions?" Sakura repeated sceptically. "She's three!"

"Yes," he agreed sagely, "But she was also smart for her age."

"You… You're such an ass sometimes, you know that?" Sakura rolled her eyes in an exasperated way and turned back to the memory.

"Bakakashi! You're an asshole you know that?" Obito yelled angrily, and Sakura let out a laugh when she heard how similar his words were to hers. "There's no fucking need to be so harsh with her! She's only _three_!"

"I was giving her advice," the younger Kakashi replied coldly.

"Advice?! You call that piece of crap advice?!" Obito screamed, and the two started arguing in full.

Minato slapped his palm against his forehead, closed his eyes and bit down on his urge to throttle his student. He understood that it was Kakashi's own way of trying to help the girl move on from the hurt of her father's death, but was it really necessary? That piece of thinking worked for Kakashi (somewhat), but couldn't the youth see that Kagome wasn't like him?

"It's all right Kagome-chan. Kakashi is blunt like that but I'm sure he means well," Rin said soothingly, fearing that the young girl might just suddenly burst into tears.

But she didn't.

Kagome didn't cry. She didn't even tear up. She just watched Kakashi as he argued with Obito. There was a curious expression on her face, and she wondered if he had also lost someone precious to him, if he had also said those very words to himself to move past his grief. He most probably had.

Meanwhile, Sasuke smiled wryly as he looked at Kagome and the younger Kakashi.

"And that kids, is the story of how I met your mother," he muttered softly to himself, shaking his head in amusement as he tried to imagine Kakashi describing this meeting to Itachi and Isuzu in the future if they ever asked.

What a moment that would be.

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies. Here's the new chapter. :)<p>

I hope anyone doesn't find the funeral too sad here, since everything is only going to be _**a lot worse**_ with the Kyuubi Attack...

So, I changed Kagome's meeting with Team Minato a bit by making her more proactive. I also gave her a reason to know Minato, Kushina and Obito. The first two are friends with her parents, and Obito knows her through Mikoto and Itachi.

Kakashi and Rin haven't met her until that point because Minato never introduced his team to the Higurashis.

I don't know when the next update is going to be since I'm still writing the next chapter. Everything in there is completely new which explains why it's taking me a while to write. I'm trying to aim for a weekend update though...

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


	12. Chapter 11

**Love, Actually**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

.

As the sheer chaos of the current memory faded away, Sakura blinked as she took in their new surroundings. It was a training ground, similar in look to the one that she, Sasuke and Naruto had taken their bell test in.

Heck, for all she knew, it _was _the same training ground.

To the side of the large training ground, near the trees, were Minato, Rin, Obito and Kakashi. The three students were in the middle of an intense 2-on-1 sparring match, with Obito and Rin fighting against Kakashi while their teacher stood by the sidelines. He was leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chest and though his posture and expression were relaxed, his piercing blue eyes were sharp as he watched the battle.

Suddenly, he moved his head slightly, as if sensing something, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Back again, Kagome-chan?" He sounded mildly amused.

There was some rustling coming from behind him, and Sakura watched as Kagome stepped through some bushes. The girl was dressed in a blue dress that accentuated the colour of her eyes and was clutching two scrolls in her hand. She looked a bit older than the last time Sakura had seen her.

"Uh-huh," Kagome quipped.

"You really shouldn't come here so much Kagome-chan. The training grounds are warded for a reason," Minato said, turning around to face her.

Sakura blinked. The man was right. The training grounds _were _warded against civilians and small children. It stopped them from wandering in and prevented the chance of them getting hurt if a battle was happening.

How did Kagome even manage to get in?

"Her clan specialises in Barriers and Seals remember?" Kakashi spoke up quietly from beside her. His gaze was entirely focused on the girl. "Kagome's young, but she's already a prodigy when it comes to anything related to that. You've seen her practice under Kagerou-san before."

He was right. Sakura did see it. Kagome had been amazing at it.

"What happens if there's a big fight taking place when you come here and you end up getting hurt?" Minato chided the girl gently. "I really don't want to be the one to explain to Kushina or your mother why that happened."

"It won't happen Minato-san," Kagome replied calmly, looking him in the eyes. "I look for you when Kushina-san isn't in the village and I sense that you're usually in the training grounds with your team. That's the only reason why I come here. I can also sense where you all are so I know how to avoid you. And if I can get past the default wards _plus _the ones you set up, it means that I must have some skills to take care of myself right?" Her smile was just a tad bit cheeky. "Don't worry Minato-san, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl."

"You're only three Kagome-chan," Minato pointed out dryly, shaking his head in exasperation.

"I'll be four in two months." Her tone was resolute. "When Kakashi-san was four he entered the academy."

"Well Kakashi is… _Kakashi_…" The blonde gestured vaguely with his hands, struggling for an explanation. The adult Kakashi cracked a small smile beneath his mask at the man. His sensei may have been hailed as a Ninja genius beyond compare, but sometimes he just plain sucked at dealing with children. That was more of Kushina's area of expertise. "And you're you. There's a difference. You don't have to grow up so quickly Kagome-chan," Minato said.

"Oh, I have to," she hummed. There was something weird about her statement.

Minato, as sharp as always, picked up on it. Because he ended up asking, "…How are your mother and Souta-chan doing?"

Kagome took a breath. "Souta's doing fine. He's taking a nap now so I have another free hour or two, tops. He's eating healthy and he's crawling around a lot more. I think he's even learning to walk. He calls me 'Nee-nee' and he always smiles at me."

There was a fondness in her eyes. It was clear that Kagome loved her little brother dearly. But the fondness faded as she spoke again. "As for Mama… Well, she's not crying as much as she used to so that's a good thing I guess… But she spaces out a lot now. She also forgets to take care of herself or do things sometimes like making dinner, feeding Souta or putting him down for his nap so I end up doing it. She was sleeping in Daddy's sweater when I left the house."

_Oh_. Sakura sucked in a sharp breath.

Kun Loon was clearly not handling Kagerou's death well _at all. _The woman was so caught up in her own grief and despair from losing her husband that she was neglecting her children. Her behaviour was forcing her young daughter to step up and take charge of the family. This couldn't continue on. Something had to be done.

Sakura glanced at Minato. His expression told her that he was probably thinking the same thing.

"Kagome-chan…" he began slowly.

"It's okay Minato-san," Kagome interrupted him with a small smile, shaking her head. "I'm okay. I don't really mind looking after Mama or Souta. I promised Daddy I would take care of them, after all. So…" she said, holding out the scroll she was carrying. "Can you help me with this?"

Minato let out a soft sigh at the girl's poor attempt of changing the subject, but he ended up taking the bait anyway. His attempt to even broach this subject with Kagome had her shutting him down, and the man knew when not to push.

Minato decided to talk with Kushina about this first before deciding on the next course of action.

Kagome didn't seem to mind filling in for her mother's shoes, but it was still clearly unacceptable. If Higurashi Kun Loon continued wallowing in her grief and ignoring her children like this, some action would have to be taken.

"Let me see," the man said, extending his hand and taking the scroll. "What do you have for me this time?"

"Hmmm… I think that it's a scroll that teaches you about seals you put on yourself or on objects? Like I think there's one that increases the strength of any chakra powered attacks and there's another that makes you invisible to people even though you're standing right in front of them."

"That sounds interesting," Minato said, unravelling the scroll.

"Yeah, but I can't read all the words yet." Kagome sounded put out by the fact. "That's why I keep on troubling you and Kushina-san."

"Don't worry about it," the future Yondaime said with an easy laugh. "You're not troubling us at all. Kushina and I really don't mind helping you. To see how your clan's Fuuinjutsu differs from Whirlpool's… it's a great honour that you're willing to share them with us."

"I share my scrolls with you and Kushina-san because my family is the last of my clan. I want to at least pass on our techniques to others so that they don't die out if we do," she explained softly. "But still… I can't help but feel bad for troubling you all the time… I know that Kushina-san brings you lunch sometimes and since she's out of the village now, do you mind if I do it instead?"

She held up the other scroll with a small smile. Sakura stared at her, mouth slightly open in surprise. Kagome had sealed the lunches she'd made into that scroll? Sakura hadn't been able to do a thing like that until she was a Genin. But then again, Kagome _was_ a prodigy in Fuuinjutsu…

"Ohhh…" Minato blinked, looking genuinely surprised as well. "That's really nice of you Kagome-chan. What did you make?"

"A bento. There's sticky rice, sweet tamago, chicken karaage, octopus sausages, salt-broiled saury and some fruit salad. It's nothing fancy because I'm still learning everything. And I can't promise that it'll taste anything as good as Kushina-san's cooking," Kagome replied, looking shy now.

"I'm sure that Kagome-chan's cooking will taste just fine," the blonde assured her.

"Thank you for the kind words Minato-san," the girl said politely, but Sakura could see that she looked a little more confident. "Ah… I didn't just make a bento for you though. I also made a share for Rin-chan, Obito-nii and Kakashi-san."

Minato smiled and placed a hand on Kagome's head.

"Well thank you very much for your bentos Kagome-chan. I'll be sure to eat every last grain of rice and I'm sure that Kakashi, Rin and Obito will do the same. Now," he said, looking down at the scroll. "What do you need help with?"

"Starting from… here!" Kagome said, pointing at a particular section.

"Okay… So let's see…" the blonde hummed, his sharp eyes scanning through the contents. His eyes widened just a bit. "This is interesting… It isn't really a sealing technique. It's more of a subjugating one. As you inscribe these signs here into an object, like say a beaded necklace, you also channel your chakra into it. Then, once you're done, you can direct the object around a person's body, preferably around their neck. Afterwards, you simply say an incantation of your choice and they'll be subjugated."

"Subjugated how…?" Kagome asked slowly. Her eyes were alight with a burning curiosity.

Watching her, Kakashi suddenly recalled a man with long silver hair and piercing golden eyes from the Fourth Great Ninja War. He had been one of Kagome's friends that had volunteered to help the Alliance in the fight against Madara. The scarecrow also remembered the beaded necklace that the man had around his neck, and what unfortunate thing had happened to him after Kagome had said, "Osuwari."

He smiled behind his mask and tried not to laugh. So _this_ was where it all began.

Minato continued reading. "According to the scroll, the method of subjugation is… oh dear…" His lips quirked up into a smile and he let out an amused laugh. "…After you say the incantation, the object will subjugate the wearer by the means of… slamming them face-first into the ground. With great force too I might add. If you say the word a few times, it will result in a human-shaped crater." Both the blonde and the young girl spent a few moments laughing at the imagery that appeared in their heads.

"Maybe I should make one for my team," the man mused, once he'd stopped laughing. "Heaven knows they need it sometimes."

"Maybe," Kagome agreed cheekily, before pointing to another part. "Now what's this one here…?"

"Well… Oh, now this is a sealing trap. I've never seen one before. It says if you trigger this trap, you'll be sucked into a dimension based in the trap itself. It can be broken through a great release of chakra, similar to a Genjutsu, but it's good for stalling for time… And give me a second here Kagome-chan," Minato suddenly said, looking towards the clearing where the three teens were still sparring. "Obito. You should _very_ well know by now that just because I'm not watching you doesn't mean I'm not paying attention. Make another foul like that again and I'll tie you to the post until sundown."

"Eh?" The boy stopped right in the middle of the sparring and looked at his teacher. His cheeks were dusted red in embarrassment. Because of his distraction though, he ended up receiving a kick to the head courtesy of his silver-haired teammate. "OW! Kakashi you bastard!"

"It's your fault for getting distracted in the middle of a fight," Kakashi replied sardonically.

"Sensei! Did you see what he did?" Obito yelled angrily. "Are you going to let him cheat too?"

"Ahhh…" Minato's calm gaze landed on Obito, then at Kakashi. What he was going to say would probably lead to another argument between the two. But it _did_ need to be said. He sighed tiredly. Why him? "Technically Kakashi didn't cheat. He is right too though, Obito. It's dangerous for you to get distracted in the middle of a fight. If that happened in the actual battlefield, you would have been killed," he explained, his voice serious.

Obito grit his teeth and looked down at the ground. Kakashi crossed his arms, observing his teacher.

"But Kakashi," Minato continued on. "You know that your reflexes are faster than average. You could have stopped yourself from hitting him too. But you didn't." Now it was the silver haired youth's turn to stare at the ground. Obito shot his teammate an accusatory look. "Enough. I don't want you two to argue over this anymore. Forgive and forget. You're both on the same team after all."

"Yes sensei…" the two teenagers muttered sullenly.

"Good," Minato said with a nod, before breaking out into a smile. "Now, let's take a break for lunch, shall we? It'll give you both some time to cool down. Kagome-chan over here even made us some bentos." He placed his hand affectionately on the girl's head. "So be sure to eat every last morsel, ne?"

Rin and Obito smiled happily at the prospect of food but Kakashi merely nodded in a clinical manner.

As the three teens made their way over to where Minato and Kagome were, the young girl unravelled the scroll that contained the bentos. She placed the unwrapped scroll flat on the ground and channelled chakra to her hands. Then she made a few hand-seals and slammed her palm flat against the scroll. A puff of smoke appeared and when it cleared, Sakura could see four bentos neatly stacked over one another.

"Here you go," Kagome said pleasantly, handing a bento each to the four people.

Everyone accepted their bentos with a smile and a word of thanks to the girl. All except Kakashi. The silver-hared boy said nothing and only nodded his head once as a sign of gratitude.

Obito grumbled under his breath about 'ungrateful cold bastards', but stopped when Minato gave him a look.

The four Ninja soon tucked into their lunches eagerly. Sakura tried not to stare too obviously as Kakashi pulled down his mask. With all the times she had healed him in the past, it was only obvious that she'd seen his face before. But still… this was something she would never get used to. Even as a teenaged boy now, Sakura could see how good looking her former sensei was, so she didn't really understand the reason why he would even cover his face.

She'd known Kakashi for nearly nine years now, yet there were many things about the man that still remained a mystery to her.

Sakura glanced at Kagome as a distraction. The girl had looked at Kakashi as he unmasked himself, but her gaze didn't linger on his face for long. In fact, she looked kind of nervous now as she watched Minato and his students each say a quiet 'itadakimasu' before taking a bite.

"…How's the taste?" Kagome asked, biting her lip.

Rin smiled encouragingly. "It's delicious Kagome-chan!"

"… Really?" Her anxiousness was fading away.

"Yeah!" Obito agreed enthusiastically. His speech was muffled due to the food still in his mouth. "It's really good Kagome-chan! Much better than my own cooking!"

Kakashi let out a snort. "I think anyone's cooking would be better than yours, Obito." The boy easily ignored the insults that were hurled at his way, courtesy of his black-haired teammate and instead, he turned to look at Kagome. "But he's right though. The food's good. Especially the fish," he told her plainly.

"…Thank you for the praise, Kakashi-san," Kagome said softly.

Kakashi nodded once and turned his full attention back to his food. Because of that, he didn't see the shy smile or the faint blush that appeared on Kagome's cheeks as she looked at him. (The adult Kakashi spotted her reaction however, and a part of him cursed his younger self for being so blind.) Neither Rin nor Obito noticed her expression either.

Out of the whole team, only Minato did. The blonde man had watched the two's interaction with astute eyes, but said nothing. He just continued eating.

* * *

><p>A messenger hawk carrying a scroll bearing the Hokage's seal came for Minato, just as the four Ninja were finished with their lunch. The blonde unravelled the scroll and read through it quickly.<p>

Once he finished, he set the scroll on fire with a small Katon Jutsu.

"All right," Minato began after dusting off the ashes. "Sandaime-sama has just summoned me to his office. The only thing I can say is that my meeting with him will run for a while, maybe an hour at the least. So for now… Obito, Rin. I want you two to practise your elemental manipulation. It needs a bit more work but you both already know what exercises you need to do," he informed them calmly.

"Yes sensei," the two said.

Minato nodded at them before turning to his remaining student. "Kakashi, you'll be preparing for your Jounin exams. Based on my evaluation, you're already more skilled in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu than most of the Chuunins in Konoha right now, so you won't be practising any of that today. Instead, I want you to brush up on your Fuuinjutsu because that's the area you're currently weakest in. Understand?"

"Yes sensei," Kakashi said with a nod.

"Good," Minato replied, and pulled out a small scroll from one of the pockets on his flak jacket. He handed it to the Hatake prodigy. "You'll start by reading this then. If you have any questions, wait until I get back to ask me." Then he looked to the final person there. "Kagome-chan, I'm really grateful that you made lunch for all of us but I'm sorry for not being able to help you much today."

"It's okay Minato-san," she replied with a small smile. "Hokage-sama's matter is more important. Besides, I can always ask you another time."

Minato returned her smile with his own and placed his hand briefly on her head in an affectionate manner. After removing it, he turned back to his students. "Now, when I get back, I don't want there to be _any_ fights or arguments among you three. Is that clear?" His tone of voice was serious, letting them know there wouldn't be any compromise on the matter.

"Yes, sensei," all three chorused.

"All right. See you in an hour then," Minato said with an easy salute, and disappeared as he activated his Hiraishin. His students, all long grown used to the speed of the man's coming and goings, didn't even bat an eyelash at his exit.

Instead, they handed back their empty bentos to Kagome, thanking her again for the lunch as they did so. Obito and Rin even exchanged a few words of pleasant conversation with the girl before they said their goodbyes and made their way to the middle of the clearing for their elemental manipulation exercises. Kakashi on the other hand had gone straight to reading the scroll his teacher had given him. He remained completely silent, still and expressionless as his eyes travelled across the text, the very epitome of a perfect Ninja.

Watching him, the adult Kakashi couldn't help but feel a deep curl of regret in his gut.

After his father's suicide, he had dedicated his life to following the rules, determined about becoming the perfect Ninja. Kakashi hadn't wanted to make the same mistake his father did. He hadn't wanted to be as _weak_ as his father.

The man had taken his own life without even thinking of the young son he'd left behind to pick up the pieces. (Kakashi had been the one to find the body, afterwards. The memory of it still haunted his dreams sometimes. He still remembered the pale, bloodless skin. The tanto buried deep within his stomach. The intestines spilled over the tatami. The cloying smell of blood thick in the air. It wasn't something one would _ever_ forget.)

The scarecrow had locked away his own emotions after that incident, forcing himself not to care. He remembered thinking that if he did so, then he would be from spared the pain of losing someone he loved ever again.

It hadn't worked quite as well as the boy had hoped though. Minato had been there for him. So had Kushina. Even Jiraiya, whenever the man sporadically came back to Konoha. But it was mostly his sensei and his redheaded wife. They were the ones who, with their kind smiles, kind words and their warm love, had stopped him from shutting himself away from the world.

Kakashi had cared about them. He had loved them. They had been his parents in everything but blood.

Then there was Obito. The loud-mouthed boy who had always cried way too easily had given up his eye and also his life for Kakashi. He had made the scarecrow see the rightness of his father's actions, that the lives of one's friends _always _meant more than the success of a mission. He had changed him for the better, and in the end became one of Kakashi's best friends.

And Rin… Kakashi's heart gave a painful clench at the thought of her. She had loved him, plain and simple. He had loved her, too. Not at the beginning of course. But in time, he had grown to reciprocate her feelings, and they'd had a few wonderful years together before…

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a breath. It had been years, yes, but it still hurt to think about them, all of them.

Losing them one by one like that over the course of his life had broken something in him. Kakashi had honestly thought he was cursed, that he was born under an unlucky star because there couldn't possibly be a logical explanation why his precious people kept on dying around him.

First his mother, then his father, followed by Obito, Minato, Kushina, Rin, Sarutobi, Jiraiya… The list just kept going on.

"What are you still doing here? Don't you have to go home?" a soft male voice spoke up, shattering the silence in the air. Kakashi opened his eyes and gazed towards his younger self, who had looked up from his scroll and was watching Kagome with carefully concealed interest.

The man wasn't surprised.

Kagome had been in the middle of sealing the bentos back into her scroll, and though many of his age-mates (most notably one loud-mouthed Uchiha) had called his younger self stuck-up and arrogant, Kakashi was still one to respect talent whenever he saw it, regardless of age or gender.

Kagome paused in her actions and turned to face him. "Not for another hour or so. Why do you want to know?"

Kakashi shrugged. "No reason. I just thought that a girl your age would have better things to do than to stay in this training ground in the company of Ninja, studying musty, boring old scrolls."

"Oh. Then what do you think a girl my age should be doing Kakashi-san?"

She wasn't mocking him or anything with that question. Kagome genuinely sounded curious (as if she also had no idea what girls her age should be doing as opposed to this) which was why Kakashi decided to answer her.

"I don't know," he sighed. He hadn't exactly had a normal childhood either. Neither was he a girl. But, he decided to be honest with her and struggled to remember what he had seen some other girls doing around the village. "Playing with friends your own age? Creating imaginary friends? Having tea parties with your toys? Gorging yourself on candy? Taking naps? Watching TV? Talking about boys?"

Kagome's lips twitched up into a smile at his outlandish suggestions. "It's hard making friends your own age when you're smarter than them, Kakashi-san, as you should know. So other than Itachi, I don't have anyone else. I grew out of imaginary friends when I was 2, same as the tea parties with my toys. I have them with Itachi though, sometimes, but it's an _actual_ tea party, not those pretend ones. I don't like candy, I don't need naps because my chakra keeps me energised, TV rots the brain, and I think you're confusing 4-year-old girl with teenaged girl about the boy talk," she replied, her tone just a bit cheeky.

"Meh." Kakashi's tone was bored, unconcerned, but Kagome knew better. After being around him for a few months, she had become good at reading him.

"And for the record, Kakashi-san, I don't find those scrolls boring," Kagome stated before she resumed her sealing. The four bentos were stacked neatly (each one atop the other) in the middle of the unrolled scroll. The Hatake prodigy watched as Kagome channelled chakra to her hands, forming the signs in a quick, efficient motion. Then she slammed her palm down onto the scroll and the bentos vanished in a small puff of smoke.

He raised his brow. "Not too shabby."

"Thank you for the praise, Kakashi-san," Kagome replied politely, before unravelling the other scroll that she had brought. Since she was going to be staying here until just before Souta woke up, she might as well get some reading done. She may even start practising the seals that she had asked Minato to help her decipher just now. Everything, especially the subjugating seal, sounded pretty interesting…

"It's not praise. I was just stating a fact," Kakashi said baldly. "And you still haven't answered my question."

"Which question would that be Kakashi-san?"

"Why are you still staying here? Don't you have someplace better to be?"

"… Not really…" Kagome replied quietly. Though her eyes were currently focused on her scroll, she wasn't reading any of the words. "Itachi's busy with his family today so I don't want to impose on him or Aunt Mikoto. And I don't want to go home yet. I don't have to until Souta wakes up, and it won't be for another hour or so." She clenched her fists, unaware that she was even doing it. "I don't know… Sometimes I just feel like I can't stay at home. I need to get out. Because…" She trailed off, unsure of how to put the next bit into words.

"Because it's painful to stay," Kakashi finished softly for her. His words caused Kagome to look at him in surprise. He stared back at her. His own dark gaze was laced with sadness, but mostly _understanding. _"You can't help remembering the good times you've shared with them there, before everything went to hell."

Kagome nodded once. Her voice was sad. "Yes."

There was a silence between them for a few moments, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one.

"…You should move out," Kakashi said finally, turning back to his own scroll. "It gets easier once you do."

Kagome bit her lip. "Easier because you forget about them?"

"Yes. You move on."

Kagome shook her head. "That's not moving on."

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"Kushina-san says that moving on doesn't mean forgetting every moment you've spent with them," Kagome said softly. "She says that it means holding on to your precious memories of them so that they live on in you, and then going forward with your life. It may hurt you to think about them now, but there will come a moment in the future where you'll be able to look back on the times you've shared with them and feel fondness, not pain."

Kakashi let out a snort. "Kushina-san's an idealist. Or maybe a masochist. I haven't decided which yet."

Kagome detected the undertone of bitterness in his voice. She could tell that there was a story behind it, but it wasn't her place to ask. "Still, I'm going to try and follow her advice anyway. Because feeling the pain in my heart is a much better option than forgetting about Daddy, I think."

"You're a masochist too," Kakashi stated baldly, rolling his eyes.

"Oh." Kagome didn't know how to respond, since she had no idea what a masochist was. She couldn't remember the word being related to or used in any barriers or sealing techniques at all, so her prodigal skills in the area didn't help much. She was also only _four_ this year too.

There was another round of silence between them. In the background, the faint sounds from Obito and Rin's training could be heard.

"… Umm, Kakashi-san, so do you mind if I stay here with you until it's time for me to go home?" Kagome was the one to break the quiet this time. She was watching the Hatake prodigy with a look of apprehension on her face. "Or am I bothering you?"

Kakashi looked up from his scroll. Their gazes met.

"You're not bothering me much, so I don't particularly care if you decide to stay," he said bluntly, before turning back to his reading.

Kagome's eyes had widened slightly at his statement, and slowly, a small smile appeared on her face. "Okay…" she replied softly, and went back to her own reading.

Her day was turning out to be quite a good one, it seemed.

.

End chapter

* * *

><p>Hello my lovelies.<p>

I was struggling particularly with that last scene with Kakashi, so that's why it took me so long to update. I really hope that it doesn't suck...

Naruto Trivia: One of Kakashi's favourite food is salt-broiled saury. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether he liked it _before_ Kagome cooked it, or if he liked it _because _Kagome cooked it. *laughs*

For the next chapter, I'm hoping to get it out by next weekend, at the latest.

Please let me know what you think!

~Beans


End file.
